The dimensions of the Australian Curriculum

Summary

The Australian Curriculum is undergoing a review to streamline content, allowing teachers to focus on core concepts and deepen students' understanding. The curriculum's three dimensions—learning areas, cross-curriculum priorities, and general capabilities—are clarified to show they are not separate subjects but enrich the core content. The eight learning areas remain central, with general capabilities like literacy and numeracy developed through them. Cross-curriculum priorities, such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, Asia engagement, and sustainability, are integrated naturally. The review aims to make it easier for teachers to integrate these elements, ensuring a knowledge-rich curriculum that benefits all students.

Takeaways

• 📚 The Australian Curriculum is under review to declutter and streamline teaching, allowing for deeper understanding of core concepts.
• 🔍 The review aims to clarify the relationship between the curriculum's three dimensions: learning areas, cross-curriculum priorities, and general capabilities.
• 🏫 The eight learning areas (English, Mathematics, Science, Humanities, Social Sciences, Arts, Health and Physical Education, Languages, Technologies) are central and not compromised by other curriculum elements.
• 🌐 Cross-curriculum priorities (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and histories, Australia's engagement with Asia, Sustainability) enrich the curriculum rather than crowd it.
• 💡 General capabilities (literacy, numeracy, ICT literacy, critical and creative thinking, personal and social capability, intercultural understanding, ethical understanding) are developed through learning areas, not as separate subjects.
• 🔗 The curriculum's priorities and capabilities are not to be taught in isolation but are integrated into the learning areas where they are most relevant.
• 🔬 ACARA's new elaborations for Australian Curriculum Science demonstrate how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures can be integrated with core science concepts.
• 👨‍🏫 Good teachers can seamlessly integrate cross-curriculum priorities and general capabilities into their teaching, enhancing student learning.
• 📈 The revised curriculum will improve content descriptions and elaborations to make it easier for teachers to develop students' capabilities and understanding of cross-curriculum priorities.
• 🌟 The Australian Curriculum remains knowledge-rich, ensuring all children have access to powerful knowledge to shape their future and contribute to society.

Q & A

What is the primary goal of the current review of the Australian curriculum?

The primary goal of the review is to declutter the curriculum, allowing more time for teachers to linger longer on topics to ensure all students understand what they are being taught and are given the opportunity to deepen their understanding of core concepts.

How does the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) aim to clarify the curriculum?

ACARA aims to clarify the curriculum by clarifying the relationship between the learning areas, cross-curriculum priorities, and general capabilities, ensuring they are not seen as add-ons but as enriching elements of the curriculum.

What are the eight learning areas in the Australian curriculum?

The eight learning areas are English, Mathematics, Science, Humanities and Social Sciences, The Arts, Health and Physical Education, Languages, and Technologies.

What are the general capabilities developed through the teaching of the learning areas?

The general capabilities developed include literacy, numeracy, ICT literacy, critical and creative thinking, personal and social capability, intercultural understanding, and ethical understanding.

How do cross-curriculum priorities integrate with the learning areas?

Cross-curriculum priorities such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and histories, Australia's engagement with Asia, and sustainability are integrated into the learning areas, providing national, regional, and global dimensions that enrich the curriculum.

Why are cross-curriculum priorities and general capabilities not taught as separate subjects?

Cross-curriculum priorities and general capabilities are not taught as separate subjects because they are meant to be integrated into the learning areas to enrich the content being taught, rather than being additional subjects.

How do the new elaborations for the Australian Curriculum Science connect with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures?

The new elaborations acknowledge that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have worked scientifically for millennia and continue to contribute to contemporary science, making learning more relevant and potentially increasing their participation in STEM subjects.

In what ways can teachers integrate general capabilities into their teaching of learning areas?

Teachers can integrate general capabilities by focusing on the content of the learning areas, such as developing literacy and numeracy primarily through English and Mathematics, and critical and creative thinking through subjects that encourage students to generate and evaluate explanations.

What is the role of good teachers in implementing the Australian curriculum?

Good teachers play a crucial role by integrating cross-curriculum priorities and general capabilities into their teaching of learning areas in a seamless and authentic way, ensuring no disjointedness in the curriculum.

How will the revised Australian curriculum assist teachers in their teaching?

The revised curriculum will assist teachers by improving the quality of content descriptions and elaborations, embedding them where it is most authentic to do so, which should make it easier for teachers to develop students' general capabilities and enrich their understanding of cross-curriculum priorities.

What is the importance of the learning areas in the Australian curriculum?

The learning areas are central to the Australian curriculum as they form the basis of a knowledge-rich curriculum, ensuring all Australian children have access to powerful knowledge about the world, which is essential for shaping their future and that of their communities and society.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Clarifying the Australian Curriculum

The Australian Curriculum is undergoing a review to declutter and streamline the educational content. The aim is to allow teachers more time to focus on core topics, ensuring students understand and deepen their knowledge of fundamental concepts. The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) is working to clarify the interrelation between the curriculum's three dimensions: learning areas, cross-curriculum priorities, and general capabilities. These dimensions are not separate add-ons but are designed to enrich the learning experience. The eight learning areas—English, Mathematics, Science, Humanities and Social Sciences, The Arts, Health and Physical Education, Languages, and Technologies—are central to the curriculum. Through these, students develop general capabilities such as literacy, numeracy, ICT literacy, critical and creative thinking, personal and social capability, intercultural understanding, and ethical understanding. Cross-curriculum priorities like Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and histories, Australia's engagement with Asia, and sustainability are integrated into the learning areas to provide a broader educational context. ACARA has released new elaborations for the Australian Curriculum Science that demonstrate how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures can be connected with core science concepts, making learning more relevant and potentially increasing participation in STEM subjects.

05:03

🌟 The Australian Curriculum: Empowering Future Generations

The Australian Curriculum is designed to be knowledge-rich, ensuring all Australian children have access to essential knowledge about the world. This curriculum is intended to equip students with the skills and dispositions necessary to shape their future and contribute to their communities and society. The learning areas, or traditional subject titles, are central to this curriculum, and it is emphasized that the curriculum will remain rich in knowledge. Parents and the public are encouraged to participate in the curriculum review process by visiting the ACARA website and providing feedback. The revised curriculum aims to make it easier for teachers to integrate cross-curriculum priorities and general capabilities into their teaching, ensuring a seamless and authentic educational experience for students.

Keywords

💡Australian Curriculum

The Australian Curriculum refers to the national set of standards and learning goals that guide teaching and learning in all Australian schools. It is currently under review to declutter and streamline the content, allowing teachers to focus on core concepts and deepen students' understanding. The script emphasizes that the curriculum is knowledge-rich and aims to ensure all students have access to powerful knowledge about the world.

💡Declutter

In the context of the video, 'declutter' refers to the process of simplifying and streamlining the curriculum to reduce complexity and make it more manageable for teachers and students. This is part of the review's aim to ensure that teachers can spend more time on important topics and core concepts, enhancing the educational experience.

💡Cross-curriculum Priorities

Cross-curriculum priorities are elements that cut across all learning areas of the curriculum, such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures, Asia and Australia's engagement, and sustainability. They are not separate subjects but are integrated into the learning areas to provide a broader and more holistic educational experience.

💡General Capabilities

General capabilities are skills that students develop across all learning areas, including literacy, numeracy, ICT literacy, critical and creative thinking, personal and social capability, intercultural understanding, and ethical understanding. These capabilities are not taught as separate subjects but are integrated into the teaching of the learning areas to enrich the content and enhance students' skills.

💡Learning Areas

Learning areas are the core subjects taught in schools, such as English, mathematics, science, humanities and social sciences, the arts, health and physical education, languages, and technologies. They form the foundation of the curriculum, and it is through these areas that students develop general capabilities and are exposed to cross-curriculum priorities.

💡ICT Literacy

ICT literacy, or Information and Communication Technology literacy, refers to the ability to use digital technology, communication tools, and networks effectively and responsibly. In the video, it is mentioned as one of the general capabilities that students develop, primarily but not exclusively, through subjects like science and technology and the arts.

💡Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures and Histories

This cross-curriculum priority involves integrating the histories, cultures, and perspectives of Australia's First Peoples into the curriculum. The video script provides an example of how this is done in the Australian Curriculum Science, where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander scientific knowledge is connected with core science concepts.

💡STEM Subjects

STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. The video mentions the potential for making learning more relevant for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, which could help increase their participation in STEM subjects by integrating their cultural perspectives into the curriculum.

💡Elaborations

Elaborations are detailed descriptions or examples provided to illustrate how to integrate cross-curriculum priorities and general capabilities into the learning areas. The script mentions that ACARA released new elaborations for the Australian Curriculum Science, demonstrating the connections between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and core science concepts.

💡Knowledge-rich Curriculum

A knowledge-rich curriculum is one that provides students with a deep and broad understanding of significant concepts and bodies of knowledge. The video emphasizes that the Australian Curriculum is designed to be knowledge-rich, ensuring that all children have access to powerful knowledge that can shape their future.

Highlights

The Australian curriculum is under review to declutter and allow for deeper understanding of core concepts.

The aim is to clarify the relationship between learning areas, cross-curriculum priorities, and general capabilities.

Cross-curriculum priorities and general capabilities are not add-ons but enrich the content being taught.

The eight learning areas have primacy in the curriculum and are essential for student development.

General capabilities such as literacy, numeracy, and ICT literacy are developed through the learning areas.

Cross-curriculum priorities like Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures are integrated into learning areas.

Not every priority and capability can be addressed in every learning area; some are more suited to specific areas.

Cross-curriculum priorities provide national, regional, and global dimensions to enrich the curriculum.

New elaborations for Australian curriculum science connect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures with core science concepts.

Elaborations can make learning more relevant for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, increasing STEM participation.

General capabilities are addressed through the content of learning areas, not as separate subjects.

Good teachers can integrate cross-curriculum priorities and general capabilities into their teaching seamlessly.

The revised Australian curriculum will improve content descriptions and elaborations for easier integration.

The centrality of learning areas, or traditional subjects, is crucial for a knowledge-rich curriculum.

All Australian children should have access to powerful knowledge to shape their future and communities.

The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) is open to public feedback on the curriculum review.

Transcripts

[Music]

the australian curriculum

which underpins the teaching and

learning in all australian schools

is currently under review one of the

main aims

is to declutter the curriculum to allow

more time for teachers to

linger longer on topics so as to ensure

all students

understand what they are being taught

and are given the opportunity

to deepen their understanding of core

concepts

one of the ways we at the australian

curriculum assessment and reporting

authority

are doing this is by clarifying the

relationship between the three

dimensions of the curriculum

that is the learning areas the

cross-curriculum priorities

and the general capabilities there has

been a lot of misunderstanding

and misinformation about the

cross-curriculum priorities and the

general capabilities

they are not add-ons to the learning

areas that crowd out

the teaching of core knowledge or

undermine a knowledge-rich curriculum

in fact the opposite is the case they

enrich the knowledge of the content that

is being taught

the eight learning areas that is english

mathematics science the humanities and

social sciences

the arts health and physical education

languages

and technologies are what is taught

they have primacy of place in the

curriculum

it is through the teaching of these

learning areas that students develop the

general capabilities

namely literacy numeracy ict literacy

critical and creative thinking personal

and social

capability intercultural understanding

and ethical understanding

these do not need to be taught

separately as if they were

in addition to the learning areas

likewise

it is through the teaching of the

learning areas that students are exposed

to ideas

from across curriculum priorities that

is aboriginal and torres strait islander

cultures and histories australia's

engagement with asia

and sustainability similar to the

general capabilities

they are not separate subjects that are

taught separately

furthermore not every cross-curriculum

priority and general capability

can be addressed in every learning area

some learning areas are better suited

to the development of particular general

capabilities than other learning areas

and each of the three cross-curriculum

priorities find

more natural homes in certain learning

areas the priorities

provide national regional and global

dimensions

which will enrich the curriculum through

the development of considered

and focused content that naturally sits

within the learning areas

for example last year acara released new

elaborations

for the australian curriculum science

foundation to year 10

that demonstrate the connections between

aboriginal and torres strait islander

histories and cultures

and core science concepts in the

australian curriculum

the elaborations acknowledge that

aboriginal peoples and torres strait

islander peoples

have worked scientifically for millennia

and continue to contribute to

contemporary science

by making use of these elaborations

teachers can

simultaneously and seamlessly deepen

their students

understanding of scientific concepts and

aboriginal and torres strait islander

cultures

these elaborations also have the

potential to make learning more relevant

for

aboriginal and torres strait islander

students and as a result

help increase their participation in

stem

subjects in the australian curriculum

the general capabilities are addressed

through the content of the learning

areas for example

literacy and numeracy are primarily but

not exclusively

developed through the teaching of

english and mathematics

critical and creative thinking are

developed in any subject

that builds knowledge through a process

of getting students to generate possible

explanations

and then decide between them as to which

is more likely to be true

science and technology in the arts are

the learning areas

but not the only ones where ict literacy

capability is developed

geography as a subject within the

humanities and social sciences

and languages are well suited to the

development of students understanding of

other cultures

good teachers are able to integrate the

cross-curriculum priorities and the

general capabilities

appropriately and authentically into

their teaching of the learning areas

in a seamless way so that there is no

distinction or

disjointedness but this task should not

be made difficult

the revised australian curriculum will

make this easier

by improving the quality of the content

descriptions

and the elaborations by embedding them

where it is most authentic to do so

this way teachers should feel confident

that if they teach the content of the

learning areas

they are developing their students

general capabilities

and enriching their understanding of the

cross-curriculum priorities

we will do the work for them in the

presentation of the learning area

content

the centrality of the learning areas

what parents might know by the more

traditional

titles of subjects or disciplines

cannot be emphasized enough the

australian curriculum

is a knowledge rich curriculum and it

will stay that way

all australian children are entitled to

have access in common

to powerful knowledge about the world

knowledge that

in combination with associated skills

and dispositions

will enable them to shape their own

future

and that of their communities and

society more broadly

that is our most important

responsibility

as adults if you'd like to have your say

on matters covered in the reviews terms

of reference

which you can find at www.acara.edu dot

a u

slash curriculum slash curriculum review

please contact us at

engagement acara.edu.a

thanks for listening