Australias new national curriculum

A DO-OVER DOWN UNDER

AUSTRALIA SOME BACKGROUND

Commonwealth nation; Confederation 1901; British legal and parliamentary system similar to Canada (except Senators are elected) c. 22.5m population 6 states, 1 territory, 1 Federal territory Multicultural 25% of Australians were born in another country Poor history of treatment of indigenous population; indigenous Australians still suffer higher levels of poverty, disease, unemployment and drug addiction than the general population, and are underrepresented in higher education and professional occupations Strong notion of fairness, that everybody should have a fair go Tech-savvy the tyranny of distance has turned out to be a driving force behind a world-class communications infrastructure A vocal presence on the world stage (founding member of the UN), but economically dependent on the US and Asian economies; still a large exporter of primary products (coal, wheat, sheep)

EDUCATION IN AUSTRALIA

Free public education K-12 (and until late 1980s, at the tertiary level as well; university fees are still low compared to Canada and the US) Primary school: K-6 Secondary school: 7-12 (with some variance between states) 35% of K-12 students are in non-government schools (compared with only 8% in Canada but this figure does not include public Catholic schools) Non-government schools include:

Schools in the Catholic school system (unlike Canada, the Catholic system is private fee-paying and not part of the public school system) Various Independent schools, many with Protestant denominational affiliations Other religious schools (e.g., Moslem, Jewish) Montessori schools

the Australian school year runs from January to December, with 4 10week terms separated by 2-week holidays during the year and a 6-week Christmas (Summer) break comparable to the modified school year

A NEW NATIONAL CURRICULUM

In 2011, implementation of a new national curriculum will begin:

English, Mathematics, Science, History Later: Geography, the Arts, foreign languages

Currently, each of the eight states and territories in Australia has its own curriculum. There isnt consistency across the nation in various aspects of the school system, including the number of years of schooling, divisions (e.g., the age at which students move from primary to secondary school), subjects offered, standards of achievement, and more.

RATIONALE
Creates a level playing field for all students, regardless of location or socio-economic setting Promotes efficiency in the development of resources Makes it easier for students and teachers to move from one state or territory to another Addresses challenges facing 21st Century Australian students...

CHALLENGES

IMPLICATIONS

Most jobs advertised in Australia are skilled Rapidly increasing global integration and international mobility Increasing global influence of Asia

Students need university or college qualifications Students need a sense of global citizenship, and respect for diversity Students need to be Asiaaware

CHALLENGES AND IMPLICATIONS FOR 21ST CENTURY AUSTRALIAN STUDENTS

ACARA

In 2008, the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) was created This government agency is responsible for:

development of a national K-12 curriculum national assessments data collection to support evaluation, resource allocation and accountability

The Board of ACARA includes representatives from every state and territory, plus representatives of the Catholic Schools and Independent Schools systems The new curriculum has been heavily influenced by the December 2008 Melbourne Declaration on Education Goals for Young Australians

MELBOURNE DECLARATION
Goal 1: Australian schooling promotes equity and excellence.
The school system must: be free from discrimination, including that based on socioeconomic background or geographic location raise education levels and aspirations of Indigenous students promote respect for and appreciation of cultural, social and religious diversity promote a culture of excellence foster personalised learning

MELBOURNE DECLARATION
Goal 2: All young Australians become successful learners, confident and creative individuals, and active and informed citizens
Successful learners

Play an active role in their own learning; Have the essential skills in literacy and numeracy Are creative and productive users of technology Are able to think logically, and obtain and evaluate evidence Are creative, innovative and resourceful Are able to work independently and collaboratively

MELBOURNE DECLARATION
Confident and creative individuals

Have a sense of self-worth Seek a holistic wellbeing Are optimistic, enterprising, and creative Develop strong moral character traits Are able to gain tertiary qualifications to ensure successful careers Relate well to others

MELBOURNE DECLARATION
Active and informed citizens

Appreciate diversity Share a common knowledge of Australias history and culture Understand and acknowledge the value of Indigenous cultures and possess the knowledge, skills and understanding to contribute to, and benefit from, reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians Share values of democracy, equity and justice Participate in Australias civic life Act to sustain and improve the environment Are responsible global and local citizens

GENERAL CAPABILITIES
The new curriculum contains general capabilities and cross-curricular dimensions which can be developed in each subject area:
General Capabilities: literacy numeracy information communication technology thinking skills ethical behaviour creativity self-management teamwork intercultural understanding social competence

Cross-Curricular Dimensions: Indigenous history and culture Asia and Australias engagement with Asia Sustainability

ONLINE ACCESS

Curriculum documents are accessed online: searchable by subject, grade, capability, dimension

CURRICULUM DOCUMENT ORGANIZATION

Each subject has:

Description brief description of material to be taught Content Elaborations examples that help illustrate and define content Achievement Standards description of expected standards Annotated Work Samples student work, with comments (but no grades)
Content

SAMPLE VIEWS: PREFACE

SAMPLE VIEWS: CONTENT DESCRIPTION

SAMPLE VIEWS: CONTENT ELABORATION

SAMPLE VIEWS: ACHIEVEMENT STANDARDS

SAMPLE VIEWS: ANNOTATED STUDENT SAMPLES (PART 1)

SAMPLE VIEWS: ANNOTATED STUDENT SAMPLES (PART 2)

21ST CENTURY

20TH CENTURY

Technology

Same subjects

Online access General capability Embedded throughout the curriculum

Focus on Asia, but no increase in prominence of Asian language study

Values education Global outlook

Little discussion of teaching methodology ICT seen as a replacement of older technology, not as creating new ways of learning and thinking

OBSERVATIONS: HOW NEW IS IT?

SOURCES/FURTHER READING
www.acara.edu.au www.mceetya.edu.au (Melbourne Declaration)