National Curriculum Board Releases Key Foundation Documents

The Age, 8 May 2009; The Australian, 8 May 2009

The National Curriculum Board (NCB), which has overseen the development of the national curriculum for all students in years Prep-12, has released the key foundation documents that will be used to shape the proposed national curriculum.

The Shape of the Australian Curriculum outlines a set of guiding principles, structural elements and broad content directions for a national curriculum, consistent with the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians. Four additional documents outline the curriculum structure for English, Mathematics, Science and History.

Finally, the NCB has released consultation reports on the original framing papers for the four learning areas. The curriculum documents indicate that the use of A to E grades will be retained, and teachers will be provided with examples of student work to indicate the difference between expected grades. The below NCB recommendations were listed in The Age:

History:

• Age 8-12: Australian history will cover pre-contact, colonial, federation, world wars. Also Asia-Pacific histories.
• Age 12 to 15: Years 7 to 10 will study the modern world and Australia. Australian history 40 per cent of unit.
• Australian history will embrace indigenous and settler histories. Ancient and modern history will take in medieval Europe, the Crusades, European and Aztec empires, decolonisation of the Asia-Pacific and the growth of environmentalism.
• Students should: Learn how to deal with alternative accounts of the past – Concepts include revolution, imperialism, religion and world war.
• Appreciate the conflicts and ambiguities in history.

English:

• Three ‘strands’ of English – language, literature and literacy.
• Grammar, spelling, punctuation, handwriting taught across all years.
• Spoken and written English a priority.
• Inclusion of literary traditions of other Asia-Pacific nations.
• Inclusion of print, pop-culture, digital, picture and websites texts.
• Includes contemporary indigenous literature.

Science:

• Theory of evolution, water issues, climate change, stem cell research and gene technology.
• Still a focus on biology, physics, chemistry and earth science.
• Focus on energy – and the challenge to use it wisely – and sustainability.

Maths:

• Numbers and algebra, measurement and geometry, statistics and probability.
• Compulsory to end of year 10.
• Pressing need to engage more students: students drop out in years 6-9.
• Decline in students taking tertiary mathematics.
• Emphasis on digital technology.

The NCB will shortly be replaced by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), which will consider the NCB’s curriculum proposals. Go to www.ncb.org.au to access copies of the curriculum documents.

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