The Australian CurriculumAddressing the challenges of educating 21st century learners

Peter W. HillCEO, ACARA

AISSA Conference, 5-6 August

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Globalisation

• Cultural• Economic• Environmental• Political • Social• Technological

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National agenda

Australian governments commit to working in collaboration with all school sectors to support all young Australians to become:

• successful learners• confident and creative

individuals• active and informed citizens.

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Pragmatics vs vision

Immediate challenge of dealing with our past histories

Longer-term goal of facing the challenges of the future

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Shape of the curriculum

• Learning areas• General capabilities• Cross-curricular priorities

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The Learning AreasLearning areas Timeline

English Phase 1

Mathematics Phase 1

Science Phase 1

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

and citizenship

Phase 1Phase 2Phase 3

The Arts Phase 2

Languages Phase 2

Health PE Phase 3

Technologies Phase 3

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General capabilities

• Literacy• Numeracy• ICT• Thinking skills• Creativity

• Self management• Teamwork• Social competence• Intercultural understanding• Ethical behaviour

Year (K-10)

Learning Areas

Gen

eral

ca

pabi

lities

Three-dimensional curriculum

Asia

SustainabilityIndigenous culture

Cross curriculum priorities

K-10 consultation feedback

• 8 state/territory forums (935 participants)

• 10 national forums

• 3,650 web surveys

• 26,039 valid web comments (from 58,357 received)

• 694 written submissions (209 from peak bodies)

• Survey feedback from 87 trial schools

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Key issues: All

• Alignment• Content overload/time• Coherence, sequence• Assessment• Resources

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Alignment: English

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Revision and approval process

• Directions for revision endorsed by Board and AEEYSOC

• July-August: meetings with Director of Curriculum, national panels and jurisdictions

• To imnisters in late September

• Launch in October

Resources

• ESA to locating and tagging existing resources

• National Goals Working Party to work out how to make available juridictional resources

• ACARA to work with jurisdictions, AITSL and ESA on filling ‘gaps’

The senior secondary years curriculum

• ACARA is responsible for developing curriculum content and achievement standards.

• States and territories continue to offer other subjects.

• The list of Australian Curriculum subjects may grow in time if there is national agreement.

• ACACA agencies will be responsible for delivery of nationally agreed curriculum content and achievement standards within their jurisdiction, i.e., determining their assessment, certification and quality assurance requirements.

Development of senior secondary achievement standards (July 2010 – December 2010)

ACARA will work with an expert group, including ACACA nominees to:• Develop a model for the writing and use of achievement

standards, including proposed nomenclature• Establishment of expert working groups across each

learning area and course. • Undertake the drafting of achievement standards

Second round consultation (February – April 2011)

The focus for consultation :

• The appropriateness and clarity of the draft senior secondary content

• The appropriateness and clarity of the draft achievement standards.

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Longer-term challenges

• Personalising the learning

• Moving from a normative to a standards-based view of student achievement

• Student-centred pedagogies

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Curriculum alignment

Curriculum content

Achievement standards

Reporting framework

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What a student can do…

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What a student can do…End of Year 6

Personal competence

Personal competence for students in Year 3 to Year 6 involves students continuing to relate their learning across the curriculum to personal examples from their everyday lives. In learning about self-awareness and how to be more self-aware students in Year 3 to Year 6 identify a range of influences on their personal identity. Students learn more about personal strengths and challenges in communication. They recognise diversity of experience and opinion. Students identify particular emotions that are elicited by learning and begin to reflect on and learn from their successes and failures.

In learning about self-management and learning how to better manage themselves students in Year 3 to Year 6 continue to discover more about how they can apply learning from school in their personal lives. They learn more about self-discipline, self-control, taking initiative, being adaptable, resilience and setting and monitoring personal and academic goals. Students begin to draw connections between their emotions and their behaviour.

A Excellent achievement beyond what is expected at this year level

B Good achievement of what is expected at this year level

C Satisfactory achievement of what is expected at this year level

D Partial achievement of what is expected at this year level

E Minimal achievement of what is expected at this year level

Standards continuum