Overview of the Australian Curriculum
Speaker notes to accompany the Overview of the Australian Curriculum presentation
Slides
Notes
Introduction to the draft Australian Curriculum
Information and briefing for NSW DET schools
Overview of this briefing
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Development of the Australian Curriculum
Phases in curriculum development
Structure of the Australian Curriculum
Nature of the Australian Curriculum
Implementation
ACARA
ACARA has been given the role of developing the national
curriculum.
ACARA stands for the Australian, Curriculum, Assessment and
Reporting Authority.
ACARA is responsible for:
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A national curriculum from Kindergarten to Year 12 in
specified learning areas.
A national assessment program aligned to the national
curriculum that measures students’ progress.
A national data collection and reporting program that
supports:
– analysis, evaluation, research and resource allocation
– accountability and reporting on schools and broader
national achievement.
From ACARA’s website <http://www.acara.edu.au/about_us/about_us.html>
accessed on 25/3/10
© NSW Department of Education and Training 2010
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The Melbourne Declaration
Ministers from all States and Territories signed off on the
Australian Curriculum in 2008.
The debate is not longer about the “if” but more about the
“when”.
The blueprint for a national curriculum is outlined in the
Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young
Australian. The Declaration defined the broad areas on what
should be valued and taught in schools across Australia.
It has two clear goals:
Goal 1: Australian schooling promotes equity and excellence
Goal 2: All young Australians become:
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successful learners
confident and creative individuals
active and informed citizens.
Why a national curriculum?
For Australia to maintain its quality of life and its presence at an
international level, education is the key driver for productivity
and competitiveness on the world stage. Other countries such
as China and India will overtake us at a rapid rate if we do not
keep up.
To maintain this, the combined effort of all states and territories
must be focused on improving students’ learning.
From the Melbourne Declaration on Education Goals for Young
Australians December 2008 MCEEYTA
<http://www.curriculum.edu.au/verve/_resources/National_Declaration
_on_the_Educational_Goals_for_Young_Australians.pdf> accessed
25/3/10
Learning areas
Each of the learning areas of the Australian Curriculum will be
developed in three phases.
Phase 1
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English
Mathematics
Sciences
History
The first phase is well underway and the first drafts for the
K-10 curriculum are now available for consultation.
© NSW Department of Education and Training 2010
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Phase 2
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Geography
The arts (performing and visual)
Languages (especially Asian languages)
The timeline for phase 2 is approximately 12 months behind
phase 1.
Phase 3
The Melbourne Declaration listed additional areas to be
explored: Health and physical education; Information and
Communication Technology and design and technology; and
Economics, business, and civics and citizenship.
Phase 3 curriculum development depends on a decision from
the Ministerial Council on Education, Early Childhood
Development and Youth Affairs (MCEECDYA) before work
commences on this phase.
For more details http://www.acara.edu.au/phase_3__the_australian_curriculum.html
Structure of the Australian Curriculum
There are similarities with our current syllabuses. It contains:
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Rationale
Aims
Strands
Content descriptions
Content elaborations
Achievement standards
As well, embedded in the content, are:
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General capabilities
Cross curriculum dimensions
Rationale and aims
Rationale: The rationale describes the nature of the learning
area in general terms, and provides an outline of how learning
in this area relates to the contemporary world and current
practice.
Aims: The aims of the learning area will identify the major
learning that students will be able to demonstrate as a result
of learning from the curriculum.
© NSW Department of Education and Training 2010
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Content strands
Strands: These are the broad organisers for the content in
each learning area.
The Australian Curriculum for each learning area is organised
around a number of interrelated strands. Each strand is of
equal importance.
For example, in English:
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Language
Literature
Literacy.
Content description and elaborations
Content descriptors: These describe the knowledge, skills
and understandings that teachers are expected to teach at
each year level.
Content elaborations: These expand on each content
description to support teachers to develop a common
understanding about what is to be taught. These are not
mandatory.
Achievement standards
“For each learning area at each year of schooling, the
achievement standard will describe the quality of learning
(depth of understanding, extent of knowledge and
sophistication of skill) expected of students.
The quality of expected learning described will be the learning
by which a student is well able to progress to the next level of
learning.
The achievement standard will comprise:
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a description of the quality of expected learning; and
a set of annotated work samples that illustrates the
described quality of learning.
Together the achievement standards and work samples will
assist teachers to determine and communicate ‘how well’
students have achieved what was expected of them at a
particular year level.”
Source: ACARA 2009, Curriculum Design Paper,
http://www.acara.edu.au/verve/_resources/Curriculum_Design_Pape
r_.pdf accessed 25/3/10
© NSW Department of Education and Training 2010
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General capabilities
There are also ten general capabilities that are embedded
across all the learning areas. These are:
Literacy – starting and continuing in English but literacy
should be developed in all learning areas.
Numeracy – starting and continuing in mathematics but
should be in all learning areas.
ICT - required for all learning areas; includes information
management, use of technology, ability to evaluate the
source, reliability, accuracy and validity of information
Thinking skills - includes problem solving, making decisions,
thinking critically, developing an argument and using evidence
in support of that argument
Creativity - includes generating new ideas, seeing existing
situations in a new way, finding alternative explanations,
finding new ways to apply ideas
Self-management – includes students managing their own
learning, reflecting on personal characteristics which impact
on effectiveness; planning and undertaking independent work
and learning from successes and failures
Teamwork - includes working collaboratively with others,
contributing towards common goals, undertaking different
roles and responsibilities, respecting differences and building
social relationships
Intercultural understanding - includes appreciation of the
special place of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures,
respect for Australia’s multicultural composition; working with
others within and across cultures and appreciation of
difference and diversity
Ethical behaviour - includes identifying right and wrong,
ability and willingness to argue the case for change, ethics
and values in human life, moral and ethical integrity
Social competence – includes managing personal
relationships, being self aware, managing or resolving
conflicts and participating successfully in a range of social
activities
© NSW Department of Education and Training 2010
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Cross-curriculum dimensions
There will be three cross-curriculum dimensions that are also
embedded across all learning areas. These are:
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Indigenous history and cultures - written into the
curriculum to ensure that all young Australians have
the opportunity to learn about, acknowledge and
value the history and cultures of Aboriginal peoples
and Torres Strait Islanders
A commitment to sustainable patterns of living
Asia literacy – capacity to develop skills, knowledge
and understandings related to Asia and Australia’s
engagement with Asia
How is the curriculum organised?
The Australian Curriculum:
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is being developed for K-10 and Years 11&12
is described in Years not Stages
has content descriptions not outcomes.
The implementation
Each state will determine the implementation schedule
provided the K-10 curriculum is implemented by 2013
The implementation depends on:
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© NSW Department of Education and Training 2010
the extent of difference with existing curriculum
alignment with existing credentialing arrangements.
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