December 2013
Welcome to the December 2013 edition of the Department for Education and Child Development
(DECD) Australian Curriculum E-zine. Implementation of the Australian Curriculum is continuing in
schools and the Australian Curriculum E-zine will keep you informed about current Australian
Curriculum developments, and DECD initiatives and strategies to support implementation.
Please feel free to copy sections or forward to your networks in its entirety.
In this edition – At a glance
Australian Curriculum – development update
Australian Curriculum – implementation update
Australian Curriculum and Keeping Safe: Child Protection Curriculum
Australian Curriculum – Cross-curriculum priorites
Online Australian Curriculum resources
Australian Curriculum – development update
The F(R)-10 Australian Curriculum for The Arts, Technologies, Health and Physical Education,
Economics and Business, and Civics and Citizenship have been noted by the Education Ministers.
We anticipate that they will be published by ACARA soon.
Australian Curriculum – implementation update
The Curriculum, Pedagogy, Assessment and Reporting Policy for Reception-Year 10 provides DECD
schools with up-to-date policy requirements for what will be taught and how it will be taught, assessed
and reported in SA government schools from Reception to Year 10. The policy provides an agreed
foundation to guide the work of all schools as the Australian Curriculum is implemented.
The Guidelines for the Implementation of the Australian Curriculum in DECD schools: Reception-Year
10 provides principals and leaders with information, including links to advice and exemplars, about
how to manage the Australian Curriculum implementation process. The DECD timeline and
arrangements for implementation of the remaining Australian Curriculum learning areas and subjects,
is included in the guidelines.
The Leading Learning - Making the Australian Curriculum work for us website is a suite of 21st
century resources for leaders and teachers to support the implementation of the Australian Curriculum
in South Australia.
This resource provides scaffolds and online tools for leaders and teachers to support designing
engaging and intellectually challenging learning experiences for all learners. The resource
intentionally supports a focus on the big enduring concepts and understandings of the Australian
Curriculum which increase in complexity over time from Foundation to Year 10.
Australian Curriculum and Keeping Safe: Child Protection Curriculum
In the last issue we outlined that connecting the Australian Curriculum and the Keeping Safe: Child
Protection Curriculum was essential to ensure that every South Australian child receives their full
curriculum entitlement. We know that the strength of the Child Protection Curriculum is improved
when parents and carers are part of the story. That’s why we are considering the feasibility of schools
including an overview of the child protection curriculum topics taught in student reports each
semester.
An example within the Years 3-5 level:
Child protection curriculum topics covered in Terms 1 and 2 include: the concept of safety,
understanding rights and responsibilities, privacy and anatomical names for parts of the body,
practising protective strategies and reporting abuse.
We seek your feedback on this proposal; to comment please contact Linda Woolcock
linda.woolcock@sa.gov.au or 8226 5887.
Australian Curriculum – Cross-curriculum priorities
Looking for ways to embed the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures priority
across the curriculum?
Ceduna Arts Culture Centre has developed learning experiences to engage children from local
schools who come to the centre and to help close the gap between Aboriginal people and the
community.
Online Australian Curriculum resources
TfEL Teachers' Companion
The TfEL Teachers' Companion, developed by South Australian teachers, is a new 2014 yearly
planner that supports teachers to use the South Australian Teaching for Effective Learning when
designing learning. The teachers' companion also links to resources for professional learning,
including the TfEL Compass online tool and the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.
Email DECD.TfEL@sa.gov.au by Monday 16 December 2013 to order your strictly limited
complimentary copy. Please state your name and school/site address.
TfEL Compass - Now available for all teachers
The TfEL Compass is a professional learning tool for teachers to reflect on their teaching and learning
practices through self-reflection and feedback from students and trusted colleagues. It supports
teachers to develop their professional practice against Domains 2-4 of the South Australian Teaching
for Effective Learning Framework.
School-based teachers and principals and can register directly by going to the TfEL Compass link on
the LearnLink Staff Portal page.
Preschool teachers, directors and non-school based teachers can register by contacting
compass@sa.gov.au