The Australian Curriculum: Secondary Education Considerations
Introduction to the Australian Curriculum
Chapter Focus and Scope: This material focuses on the development, nature, and function of the Australian Curriculum within secondary schools, written from a practitioner’s perspective.
The Role of the Teacher: Teachers must understand the national goals of Australian education to use them as a foundation for curriculum planning, implementation, and evaluation.
Curriculum Definition: The means and materials with which students interact for the purpose of achieving identified educational outcomes.
National Reform Agenda: A federal government-initiated approach that aligns educational and broader government priorities to shape policy and direction.
Conceptualizing ‘Curriculum’
Historical Etymology: The term originates from the Latin verb currere, meaning 'to run'. Historically, it described subjects taught during the classical Greek period.
Theoretical Perspectives:
Pinar (1974): Defines curriculum as a "running track" or "obstacle course."
McNeil (2003): Describes curriculum as 'live' rather than 'inert' or 'dead', involving shared engagement between teachers and students.
Plato and Aristotle Tradition: Viewed school programs as an obstacle course where learners seek to reach a finish line, acknowledging the diversity of competitors and the reality of 'winners' and 'losers'.
Instructional View: Curriculum is the product of 'how' and 'what', similar to an instruction manual or recipe.
Types of Curriculum:
Official/Formal Curriculum: The written knowledge, skills, and values intended for instruction.
Unofficial/Hidden Curriculum: Implicit lessons, values, and perspectives that are unwritten and often unintended side-effects of learning.
Marsh and Willis (2007) Categorization:
Planned Curriculum: Knowledge, important goals, and objectives.
Enacted Curriculum: Professional judgments regarding the type of curriculum to be implemented and evaluated.
Experienced Curriculum: What actually occurs in the classroom; characterized as individual, ongoing, and unpredictable.
Historical Evolution of National Education Goals
1970s Global View: Increased focus on social, economic, and political links between people, cultural diversity, and the impact of inequality. This era emphasized building trusting relationships and resolving conflict.
1980s Momentum: Moving toward a national model in response to reforms in England.
The Hobart Declaration (1989): The first joint statement by state ministers for education establishing national goals and priorities.
Economic Shift: Introduction of 'generic competencies' deemed imperative for economic growth in a competitive global environment.
The Key Competencies (1990s)
Context: A move to strengthen the partnership between industry and education to provide workplace-applicable skills.
Development Steps:
Finn Committee (1991): Developed six initial competencies.
Mayer Committee (1992): Expanded the list to seven.
1993 Addition: An eighth competency was added in July 1993.
The Eight Key Competencies:
Collecting, analyzing, and organizing information.
Communicating ideas and information.
Planning and organizing activities.
Working with others and in teams.
Using mathematical ideas and techniques.
Solving problems.
Using technology.
Cultural understandings (added 1993).
Legacy: While syllabus documents were initially reviewed to embed these, the impetus eventually waned, and they were abandoned; however, they successfully raised the profile of national goals.
The Melbourne Declaration (2008)
Superseding Previous Declarations: It replaced the Hobart Declaration (1989) and the Adelaide Declaration (1999).
Primary Goals:
Goal 1: Australian schooling promotes equity and excellence.
Goal 2: All young Australians become successful learners, confident and creative individuals, and active and informed citizens.
Commitment to Action (Eight interrelated focus areas):
Developing stronger partnerships.
Supporting quality teaching and school leadership.
Strengthening early childhood education.
Enhancing middle years development.
Supporting senior years of schools and youth transitions.
Promoting world-class curriculum and assessment.
Improving educational outcomes for Indigenous youth and disadvantaged young Australians (low socioeconomic backgrounds).
Strengthening accountability and transparency.
The Formation and Role of ACARA
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA): An independent statutory authority responsible for school curriculum, assessment, and reporting in all Australian states and territories.
The Rudd Government Reform (2007): Adopted a model of 'cooperative federalism' where governments work together; federal/national bodies plan curriculum while state authorities deliver it.
Leadership: In 2008, Julia Gillard (Deputy PM and Education Minister) appointed Professor Barry McGaw as chair of the National Curriculum Board (later ACARA).
Timeline:
May 2009: ACARA met for the first time.
October 2012: Publication of The Shape of the Australian Curriculum Version 4.0, which established the framework for English, Mathematics, Sciences, and History.
Responsibilities:
Implementing Melbourne Declaration goals.
Developing curriculum from Foundation to Year 12 (F-12).
Aligning the National Assessment Program (NAP) to the curriculum.
Collecting and publishing national data (NAPLAN).
Features of the Australian Curriculum
Learning Areas (Eight Areas):
Mapped from Foundation to Year 10 (F-10) with a two-year senior secondary component.
Structure: Rationale, Aims, Organization Overview (situating learning on the continuum), Year Level Descriptions, and Content Descriptions.
Elaborations: Specific examples provided to ensure common understanding.
Achievement Standards: Work sample portfolios exemplifying expected levels of student performance.
General Capabilities (Seven Skills):
Aimed at supportingstudents to become successful, confident, and active citizens (echoing Key Competencies and the Melbourne Declaration).
Identified via icons in content descriptions and elaborations.
Cross-Curricula Priorities (Three Aspects):
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures.
Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia.
Sustainability.
Student Diversity: Explicitly addresses needs for students with disabilities, gifted/talented students, and English as an additional language or dialect (EAL/D) learners.
Implementation and Assessment
Introduction Process: Commenced in 2014 with English, Science, Mathematics, and History. The other four areas include The Arts, Technologies, Health and Physical Education, and Languages.
International Benchmarking:
OECD: The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.
PISA: Program for International Student Assessment. A survey conducted every three years for 15-year-old students in reading, mathematical, and scientific literacy.
NAPLAN (National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy):
Administered annually in May to Year 7 and Year 9 students in secondary schools.
Measures reading, writing, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and numeracy.
Criticized for high-stakes 'coaching' and being used for league tables rather than just diagnostic purposes.
My School Website: Managed by ACARA; provides school profiles and NAPLAN data comparisons. Controversial due to concerns over school league tables.
Implications and Challenges for Schools
State vs. National Control: States and territories retain responsibility for curriculum delivery, assessment, and exit credentials. This creates challenges for national consistency.
Student Mobility: Differences in state timetables and subject availability (e.g., Psychology in Victoria vs. NSW) can disadvantage students moving interstate.
School Commencement Age: Agreement reached in 2010 to align starting ages to fix issues where foundation year students varied from four to six years old.
Secondary Structure: Moving toward a consistent national structure of six years of secondary education (standardizing Year 7 as the start of high school, which was previously Year 8 in Queensland).
Middle Schooling: The Melbourne Declaration identifies middle-year students as most at risk of disengagement, yet critics argue the Australian Curriculum lacks a specific national philosophy for this group.
Backward Mapping: An instructional approach where teachers start with end goals (syllabus outcomes) rather than content to design learning.
Review of the Australian Curriculum (2014): Known as the 'Students First' review, initiated by Minister Christopher Pyne. Recommendations included fixing the overcrowded curriculum, rebalancing content, and improving ACARA operations.