Module 2 – A focus on English 7-10
An introduction and briefing session for NSW DET secondary schools
Target audience: whole staff
Purpose: to use as a professional learning activity during Staff Development Days or staff meetings
Preparation:
Suggested materials: one copy of the draft Australian Curriculum documents per group (staff may
work in year/stage teams or subject groups)
Icons
Present information to the whole group
Links to the internet
Watch a video
Focus questions to form the basis of a
discussion
An activity for small groups
Duration of the activity
_________________________________________________________________________________
Step 1: Exploring the draft Australian English curriculum
10 min
Ask teachers to share what they already know about the draft Australian English
curriculum. Stick to facts and avoid opinions at this stage. Move around the circle, each
taking turns to add some new piece of information until all known facts are shared.
View the presentation, slides 1-11.
Discuss: What new information did we learn?
Step 2: Identifying what is familiar and unfamiliar
5 min
View the presentation, slide 12.
Discuss: Do you agree these are familiar aspects of the draft curriculum? Is there anything
else which is familiar to you in the draft curriculum?
View the presentation, slide 13.
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Discuss: Do you agree that these aspects of the draft curriculum are less familiar? Is there
anything else which is unfamiliar to you in the draft curriculum? Do you think the changes
signalled by these differences are beneficial for student learning, or problematic?
Step 3: Evaluating the draft Australian English curriculum
25 min
View the presentation, slides 14–17.
Consider the different ways of looking at and evaluating the draft curriculum:

Looking across strands within a year level (slide 15)

Looking across year levels within a strand (slide 15)

Looking back at our current syllabuses (slide 16)

Looking forward to the future (slide 16)

Focusing on the key questions (slide 17)
If there are sufficient numbers in your group, you might like to separate into smaller groups,
each taking one of these five approaches.
Alternatively, if your group is small, you might like to choose just one of these approaches
to looking at and evaluating the draft curriculum.
It may be helpful at this stage to review the comments made by teachers in the relevant
feedback threads of the English 7-10 online forum:

Feedback thread #2: Year levels

Feedback thread #3: Strands

Feedback thread #5: General comments
Feel free to add to these comments.
No matter what approach you take, use a PNI (Positive, Negative, Interesting) as a thinking
tool to help you evaluate the Australian English curriculum. For aspects of the draft
curriculum identified as negative, suggest ways in which those aspects could be improved.
© NSW Department of Education and Training 2010
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Step 4: Identifying the issues for NSW teachers
10 min
View the presentation, slide 18.
Consider the issues that were raised. How might teachers be supported to address these
issues?
Brainstorm other issues and the kinds of support teachers might need to address these
issues.
If you have time, post comments for the group via feedback thread #4: Support.
Step 5: Sharing your views
20 min
Consolidate your ideas as a group and post to feedback thread #6: School Development
Day.
See slide 19 for how to register for and enter the English 7-10 online forum, if you haven’t
done so already.
See slide 20 for other avenues for having your say.
© NSW Department of Education and Training 2010
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