The Australian Curriculum

Outline

• Context, background and developments

• Key Concepts of the Australian curriculum

• The Implementation issue

2

acara

• Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority

• Commonwealth independent statutory authority • Established 1 June 2009• Policy determined by the Council of state and

federal education ministers

3

Why an Australian Curriculum?• Curriculum (what we want young people to learn

at school) has become too important and too big a task to not do it nationally

• Because we are a very mobile society national consistency is important

• We need to pool our talents and resources to ensure the best

• Combination of efficiency and effectiveness arguments

4

The vision

• Entitlement to a world-class curriculum for all young Australians

• Commitment to work together collaboratively to design and deliver it

5

What do we want all young Australians to learn at school?

6

Preparation for life

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.

7

Shape of the curriculum

• Learning areas

• General capabilities

• Cross-curriculum priorities

8

The Learning Areas

9

Learning 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 and Physical Education Phase 3

Technologies Phase 3

“Do we want each student to learn from

these learning areas?”

General capabilities

• Literacy• Numeracy• ICT• Thinking skills• Creativity

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

10

“Do we want each student to develop these capabilities?”

Cross-curriculum priorities

Focus Dimension

National Indigenous culture and history

Regional Asia and Australia’s engagement with the region

Global Sustainability

11

K-10

Learning Areas

Learning areas …

“Year by year curriculum?”

K-10

Learning Areas

Learning areas and general capabilities

Asia

SustainabilityIndigenous culture

Cross curriculum priorities

Elements of the curriculum

• Curriculum content– Content elaborations

• Achievement standards– Work samples that will be inclusive

15

Curriculum content

• A core of knowledge, skills and understandings – what students will be taught

• Importance of parsimony and avoiding overcrowding

16

“Do we want all students to learn this content?”

Achievement standards

• The expected standard or quality of work

• World class and thus aspirational, but achievable

• Aligned to a ‘C’ in an A-E system of grades

17

18

Implementation Issues

• Degree of specification

• Curriculum cultures/history

• Relationship to other policies

• The state of federalism

• Monitoring – evaluation - innovation