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

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A curriculum for all young AustraliansA world-class curriculum for the 21st century

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

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Diversity of learners

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. Curriculum shaping2. Curriculum writing3. Implementation4. Evaluation and review

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2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Australian Curriculum Development

Phase 2 development2010-2012

Design Paper

Shape Papers

Phase 1 development2008-2010

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Phase 3 development2011-2013

Australian Curriculum development timelines

Development of the Learning Areas

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Learning areas Timeline

English 2008-2010

Mathematics 2008-2010

Science 2008-2010

Humanities and social sciences•History•Geography•Economics, Business, Civics and citizenship

2008-20102010-20122011-2013

The arts 2010-2012

Languages 2010-2012

Health and physical education 2011-2013

Design and the technologies 2011-2013

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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There are three core areas of the Australian Curriculum: o Learning areas

(content descriptions and achievement standards)o General capabilitieso Cross-curriculum priorities

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Shape of the curriculum

Structure of the Australian Curriculum

Curriculum content Foundation to Year 10

Rationale and aimso outline the purpose and structure of the learning area

Content descriptionso core knowledge, understandings and skills – what students

will be taught

o accompanied by content elaborations that illustrate and exemplify content

Achievement standardso describe the quality of learning typically expected of studentso 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 Literacyo Numeracyo Information and Communication Technology competenceo Critical and creative thinking o Ethical behaviouro Personal and social competenceo Intercultural understanding

The general capabilities are incorporated into learning area content in ways that are appropriate to each learning area

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General capabilities

Cross-curriculum priorities• Three cross-curriculum priorities:

o Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultureso Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asiao Sustainability

• The cross-curriculum priorities are embedded in all learning areas as appropriate

• They are designed to support relevance and address contemporary issues

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Cross-curriculum priorities

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

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English (F-10)

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)

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Mathematics (F-10)

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

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Science (F-10)

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

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History (F-10)

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

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Providing feedback on the Australian Curriculum

Consultation occurs on:

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1. Initial Advice Paper2. Draft Shape Paper3. Final Shape Paper4. Draft curriculum outline5. Draft curriculum6. Responses to major feedback7. Revised curriculum8. Penultimate/final curriculum

Consultation processes

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• 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

Australian Curriculumwebsite & 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 deliveryThe 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 Curriculumo making it easier for users to search o more flexible and durableo providing access to a greater range of digital resources.

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