Shape of the Australian
Curriculum
December 2010
The Australian Curriculum
• sets what all students are to be taught (content) and the
quality of learning expected by years or bands of
schooling (achievement standards)
• affirms the central importance of discipline-based
knowledge and skills as well as general capabilities and
cross-curriculum priorities
A curriculum for all young Australians
A world-class curriculum for the 21st century
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Aims
The Australian Curriculum aims to:
o help to ensure all young Australians are equipped with
the skills, knowledge and capabilities that provide a
foundation for successful and lifelong learning and
participation in the Australian community
o make clear to teachers what is to be taught across the
years of schooling
o make clear to students what they should learn and the
quality of the learning expected of them
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Catering for the diversity of students
• There is flexibility for teachers to shape classroom programs
to take into account:
– the different rates at which students develop
– the diverse range of learning needs in the class
• Schools and teachers will continue to apply their
professional judgment about how to best reflect local and
regional circumstances, educational philosophies and
learning environments
Diversity of learners
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Students with special education needs
•
Most students with special education needs can engage
with the Foundation to Year 10 curriculum content
provided age-appropriate adjustments are made to
content, complexity and pace of the curriculum and/or
pedagogical approach
•
For students not able to access the Foundation to Year
10 curriculum, even with adjustments, ACARA is
developing additional curriculum content and
achievement standards
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Students for whom English is
another language or dialect (EAL/D)
•
Development of statements for inclusion in each
learning area which describe who EAL/D learners are
and the language requirements of the learning area
•
Identification of the language, literacy and skills
demands in the curriculum to address specific needs of
EAL/D learners
•
ACARA will continue to work with jurisdictions in
provision of further advice and guidance
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Australian Curriculum Development
There are four stages in the development of the
Australian Curriculum:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Curriculum shaping
Curriculum writing
Implementation
Evaluation and review
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Australian Curriculum Development
Phase 3
development
2011-2013
Shape
Papers
Design
Paper
2007
2008
Phase 2
development
2010-2012
Phase 1
development
2008-2010
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
Australian Curriculum development
timelines
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Development of the Learning Areas
Learning areas
Timeline
English
2008-2010
Mathematics
2008-2010
Science
2008-2010
Humanities and social sciences
•History
•Geography
•Economics, Business, Civics and citizenship
2008-2010
2010-2012
2011-2013
The arts
2010-2012
Languages
2010-2012
Health and physical education
2011-2013
Design and the technologies
2011-2013
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Shape of the Australian
Curriculum v2.0
• provides a context for the Foundation to Year 10
Australian Curriculum for English, mathematics,
science and history and guides the next stage of
curriculum development
• describes what has been agreed about the
structure and development of the Australian
Curriculum
• will be progressively revised to reflect the ongoing
development of the Australian Curriculum
• available at www.acara.edu.au
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Shape of the curriculum
There are three core areas of the Australian Curriculum:
o Learning areas
(content descriptions and achievement standards)
o General capabilities
o Cross-curriculum priorities
Structure of the Australian Curriculum
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Curriculum content Foundation to Year 10
Rationale and aims
o outline the purpose and structure of the learning area
Content descriptions
o core knowledge, understandings and skills – what
students will be taught
o accompanied by content elaborations that illustrate and
exemplify content
Achievement standards
o describe the quality of learning typically expected of
students
o accompanied by work samples that illustrate and
exemplify
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Teaching time allocations
• The Australian Curriculum is designed to be taught
within the overall teaching time and resources available
to teachers and students
• School systems, sectors and schools determine time and
other resource allocations for delivery of curriculum
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General capabilities
The general capabilities in the Australian Curriculum are:
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Literacy
Numeracy
Information and Communication Technology competence
Critical and creative thinking
Ethical behaviour
Personal and social competence
Intercultural understanding
The general capabilities are incorporated into learning area content in
ways that are appropriate to each learning area
General capabilities
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Cross-curriculum priorities
• Three cross-curriculum priorities:
o Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures
o Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia
o Sustainability
• The cross-curriculum priorities are embedded in all
learning areas as appropriate
• They are designed to support relevance and address
contemporary issues
Cross-curriculum priorities
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Assessment and Reporting
• The Australian Curriculum achievement standards
provide a basis for assessment and reporting
• ACARA is working with states and territories towards a
nationally-consistent approach to reporting
• States and territories will continue to determine
assessment and reporting approaches until there is a
nationally-consistent approach
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Senior secondary courses
• ACARA is responsible for developing curriculum content and
achievement standards for certain senior secondary courses
(currently English, mathematics, science and history courses are
under development)
• States and territories will continue to offer subjects that do not
overlap significantly with the Australian Curriculum subjects
• The list of Australian Curriculum courses may grow in time if
there is national agreement
• Curriculum, assessment and certification authorities will be
responsible for determining the assessment, certification and
quality assurance requirements of Australian Curriculum courses
Recognition of Alternative Curricula
• Until a national recognition process for alternative
curricula is developed by ACARA and agreed by
education ministers, schools that offer well established
alternative curricula, such as Steiner, Montessori and
International Baccalaureate, will continue to have their
curriculum approved under state and territory registration
arrangements
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Quality assurance and review
• The Australian Curriculum has been established on a
strong evidence base, including what works in
professional practice
• The Australian Curriculum will continue to be
benchmarked against the curricula of countries leading
the world in excellence and performance
• The Australian Curriculum will be subject to evaluation
and validation during initial implementation
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The Foundation to Year 10
learning areas
English Foundation to Year 10
• Three interrelated strands (Language, Literature,
Literacy)
• Each strand focuses on reading, writing, speaking and
listening
• Teaching of literature in primary years
• Grammar focus from Foundation to Year 10
English (F-10)
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Mathematics Foundation to
Year 10
• Organised around three content strands (Number and
Algebra, Measurement and Geometry, Statistics and
Probability)
• Content descriptions are grouped into sub-strands to
illustrate sequence and development of concepts in each
strand
• The proficiencies are incorporated into the three strands
(Understanding, Fluency, Problem Solving and
Reasoning)
Mathematics (F-10)
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Science Foundation to Year 10
• Three interrelated strands (Science understanding,
Science as a human endeavour, Science inquiry skills)
• Focus on inquiry-based approaches
• Development of key science concepts from Foundation
to Year 10 that relate to contemporary applications of
science
• Overarching ideas that represent key aspects of science
Science (F-10)
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History Foundation to Year 10
•
Two interrelated strands: historical knowledge and
understanding; historical skills
•
A world history approach – personal/family to world
•
A focus on historical inquiry
•
Overviews and depth studies
•
A focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
histories and cultures, Asia and Australia’s
engagement with Asia
History (F-10)
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Consultation and revision process
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Consultation process
• ACARA manages the consultation process that informs
Australian Curriculum shaping and writing
• All members of the community are encouraged to
engage in the consultation process via the Australian
Curriculum website (click on ‘Consultation’)
• This website provides key information about what is
open for consultation and how and when feedback can
be provided
• As they become available, reports of consultation
activities will be published on the website
Providing feedback on the Australian
Curriculum
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Consultation occurs on:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Initial Advice Paper
Draft Shape Paper
Final Shape Paper
Draft curriculum outline
Draft curriculum
Responses to major feedback
Revised curriculum
Penultimate/final curriculum
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Consultation processes
•
•
•
•
•
•
State/territory consultation forums (teachers,
academics, authorities, associations)
National panel meetings (“experts” – teachers,
academics, authorities, associations)
Meetings with state and territory authorities and
major professional associations
Web surveys and written submissions
Participation of trial schools and teachers
Critical readers and reviewers
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Australian Curriculum
website & digital resources
Digital curriculum and resources
•
The Australian Curriculum is published online
(www.australiancurriculum.edu.au)
•
ACARA has worked with Education Services Australia to
make adjustments to the online curriculum based on
consultation feedback regarding layout and functionality
•
The Australian Curriculum Connect project will link
state/territory digital resources to support the teaching
of the curriculum
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Online delivery
The delivery of the Australian
Curriculum within an online
environment enables:
o the curriculum to be dynamic,
multidimensional and more easily
updated
o teachers to use the online facility
to design their teaching programs
o teachers to integrate ICT within
their classrooms
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National digital learning resources
• There are over 11,000 national digital learning resources
available through the Learning Federation.
• More than 80% of current resources are in English,
mathematics, science and history.
• The Australian Curriculum Connect Pilot is testing a new
way of linking digital resources (whether national or local)
to the Australian Curriculum
o making it easier for users to search
o more flexible and durable
o providing access to a greater range of digital resources.
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