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Implementing The Australian Curriculum:: Explicit Teaching and Engaged Learning of Subjects and Capabilities
Implementing The Australian Curriculum:: Explicit Teaching and Engaged Learning of Subjects and Capabilities
Curriculum:
Explicit teaching and engaged learning
of
subjects and capabilities
Acknowledgment
The Smarter Schools National Partnership (on Literacy and Numeracy/for low SES School Communities/on
Improving Teacher Quality) is a joint initiative of the Australian Government and the Victorian Curriculum and
Assessment Authority, the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, the Catholic Education
Aims of program
1.Explore the key role principals will play
in determining school-based approaches
to the implementation of the Australian
Curriculum
2.Define the dual implementation drivers
of compliance and
creativity/flexibility/personalised
learning
3.Provide a tool-kit of resources to support
principals lead the implementation of
the Australian Curriculum in schools.
Structure of program
1. Introduction to and outline of the Australian
Curriculum and Victorias approach to
implementation
o Research and theoretical basis to support
Victorias approach.
o Victorias implementation requirements.
2. Curriculum planning to effectively implement the
first four Australian Curriculum subjects of
English, Mathematics, Science and History.
3. Planning the explicit teaching of the general
capabilities.
4. Curriculum planning informed by the crosscurriculum priorities.
5. Whole school curriculum planning.
Introduction
Research by Nuthall, 2005, shows half (and
perhaps more) of all materialtaught in
anyclass is alreadyknownby thestudents.
(Nuthall, The cultural myths and realities of classroom
teaching and learning: a personal journey? in Teachers College
Record, 107 (5), 902-903)
Pre-test activity
Curriculum is
The matter of
definitions
Curriculum
oAll the structures, organisation and
activities of a school.
oIntended, enacted, experienced.
oSyllabus as the structure, curriculum
as the teaching program.
oImposed vs student-led.
A working definition
The curriculum is the defined and
mandated set of knowledge and skills
that schools are required to teach and
assess.
oA democratic entitlement rather than
individual determination of what is
required for effective, participatory
citizenship.
Tensions
Implementation approaches
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
English
Mathematics
Science
Health and physical
education
Languages
Humanities and social
sciences
(History, Geography,
Civics and citizenship,
Business and
economics)
The Arts
Technologies (Design
and Digital
technologies)
GENERAL
CAPABILITIES
CROSS-CURRICULUM
PRIORITIES
Current status
Australian Curriculum
Another historic milestone towards implementation of Australias first
national school curriculum was reached with Ministers endorsing the
achievement standards for Foundation to Year 10 Australian
Curriculum in English, mathematics, science and history. Following
Ministers endorsement of the curriculum content for these first four
learning areas in December last year, (2010) the achievement
standards were refined after a validation process ....
ACARA will provide student work samples that illustrate achievement
against each standard in the four learning areas in 2011 and during
2012 to enable the standards to be consistently interpreted and
assessed across the nation.
MCEEYDYA Communiqu 14 October 2011
2012
2013
2013
Science
Humanities - History
Mathematics
2014
Humanities - Geography
The Arts
Languages?
2015
AusVELS
AusVELS
Refer Readings 7, 8, 9,
10
o Current VELS structure
o Conceptualisation of Interdisciplinary Learning/Physical, Personal
and Social Learning/General Capabilities
o As is the case with learning in subject areas, the learning
associated with the general capabilities does not always happen
by osmosis
AusVELS
Nominal school
level/grade
VELS Level
AusVELS Level
Prep/Foundation
Foundation
2
3
2
3
4
5
4
4
6
7
10
5
6
8
9
7
8
9
10
AusVELS
Grade 3
Level 4
Level 3
Level 2
AusVELS
An example from The Arts domain
Learning focus
As students work towards the achievement of Level 4
standards in the Arts, they apply and develop their arts
knowledge by exploring arts processes and ways to
communicate concepts arising from their personal
experiences and from the world around them.
Standards
At Level 3, students are working toward the Level 4
standards.
Refer
http://ausvels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/The-Arts/Curriculum#level=3
AusVELS - English
AusVELS - Mathematics
AusVELS - History
AusVELS Science
proposal
26
Literature
Literacy
Language
variation and
change
Literature and
context
Texts in context
Language for
interaction
Responding to
literature
Interacting with
others
Interpreting,
analysing and
evaluating
Expressing and
developing ideas
Creating texts
Creating
literature
AusVELS - History
o Two strands:
Historical knowledge and understanding
Historical skills
30
AusVELS - Science
o Three strands:
Science understanding
Science as a human endeavour
Science inquiry skills
o Content descriptions and achievement standards
included for F 10.
o Content descriptions for each level for Science
understanding but across band levels for Science
as a human endeavour and Science inquiry skills.
o Currently achievement standards written for each
level F-10, but will be rewritten mainly in twolevel intervals.
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Level 2
Level 3
Victorian approach
o No mandated time allocations (except HPE,
Languages)
o Maintain school-based responsibility for design of
learning programs
o Respect for professional autonomy/responsibility
balance with accountability
o Schools should be able to demonstrate how the
Australian Curriculum is being delivered
o It is expected all domains will be made available to all
students
o VCE/VET programs will continue to be available in Year
10
Senior secondary
o National agreement
to develop 14
senior secondary
subjects (plus
Geography) in four
learning areas.
o No national
agreement yet on
development of
further subjects in
these or other
learning areas.
2012
2013
2014
2015
?
2016
?
20152020
Senior secondary
Process
o Agreed content to be packaged into
VCE study designs:
Rationale
Areas of study
Outcomes
Key knowledge
Key skills
Assessment
Resources
o http://
www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/foundation10/curriculum/ind
ex.html
o Overview and comparison documents (AC with
VELS)
o Scope and sequence
o PowerPoint presentation with speaker notes for
curriculum leaders
o Portfolios of annotated student work samples for
AC
Resources
http://www.scootle.edu.au/ec/p/
home
Key issues
How much time will we allocate to each
learning domain?
Australian Curriculum should take up no
more than 80% of teaching time [69(d)]
http
://www.acara.edu.au/verve/_resources/The_Shape_of_the_Australian_Curriculum_V3.pdf,
What else/more/deeper/broader do we
want to teach?
Refer Reading
3
necessarily mean
General capabilities
o Literacy
o Numeracy
o ICT
Key questions
oHow and when will we intentionally teach the qualities and dispositions
associated with perseverance?
oHow will we capture evidence of students developing capacity to persevere?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBBngsAvafQ
Refer Readings 5, 6, 7, 8,
9, 10
Refer Template
Bank
Empirical research
Students in the lower 50% of their class in reading
achievement who received the AB4L program showed
statistically significant improvement in their reading
comprehension performance.
Those students who received the AB4L program and who
showed improvements in their behaviours for learning
demonstrated statistically significant improvements in
their reading comprehension performance.
Empirical research
o The Arts and Achievement in AtRisk Youth: Findings from Four
Longitudinal Studies
http://
www.arts.gov/research/Arts-At-Risk-Yo
uth.pdf
Cross-curriculum
priorities
Cross curriculum priorities
The Australian Curriculum identifies three cross
curriculum priorities:
oAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and
cultures
oAsia and Australias engagement with Asia
http://dl.nfsa.gov.au/clip/cuclamss/
oSustainability
These are not separate, perpetual areas of learning
but rather illustrate how learning can be integrated
across the subjects and general capabilities to
enable students to engage with current issues in
contemporary society.
Refer Template
bank
FAQ
Will we have to report on History and Science in
Prep?
oFor government and Catholic sector schools, reporting
and assessment requirements will remain unchanged
in 2013. Any changes to assessment and reporting
requirements will be informed by consultation with
schools, parents and communities.
oIndependent schools will be required to comply with
national guidelines substantial implementation of
phase 1 of Australian Curriculum by 2013.
oSee circular to schools 62/2012
ohttp
://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/correspondence/notices/2012/6
2.html
FAQ
Do students in Years 9-10 all have to do the
Australian Curriculum subjects?
oIt is expected that the learning program available for
all students will draw on each of the eight learning
areas.
oSchools retain the final responsibility for design to
appropriate student learning programs.
oSchools will continue to be able to offer VCE and VET
subjects to students in Years 9 and 10.
oSchools need to ensure that students are
appropriately advised about the level of knowledge
and skill required to successfully undertake VCE and
VET studies.
FAQ
Does the curriculum content set for a particular
year level by the Australian Curriculum have to
be taught to all students in that year level?
What about multi-grade classrooms?
oThe Australian Curriculum sets out a nationallyagreed sequence of learning, both in terms of
content and achievement standards.
oHowever, teachers and schools retain the flexibility
to tailor teaching and learning programs according to
local circumstances while reporting against common
standards.
FAQ
What about EAL/D students?
oACARA is developing teaching
resources to support the teaching of
EAL/D students.
oGovernment and Catholic schools in
Victoria should continue to use the ESL
scales for curriculum planning and
assessment.
56
FAQ
FAQ
What about students with
Additional Learning Needs?
oContinue to use current Victorian
approach of matching student with
appropriate levels
oWorking Towards Level 1 of VELS to
continue to be made available
oACARA developing support materials
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Contact details
Victorian Curriculum and Assessment
Authority
(VCAA)
email: vcaa@edumail.vic.gov.au
www.vcaa.vic.edu.au