Implementing the Australian

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

Why this matters

Refer
Reading 1

Two of the findings that surprised researchers involved Australian

history. Only 16 per cent of Year 6 students and 23 per cent of Year
10 students could correctly name the event commemorated on
Australia Day. Further, only 17 per cent of Year 6 and 27 per cent of
Year 10 students could articulate why Australia Day was sometimes
called Invasion Day.
Students also notably struggled with the concept of "the common
good" strategies that refer to how individuals can influence systems
for the benefit of society. They either didn't understand it, didn't
believe in it, or couldn't see how they could exercise it.

Curriculum is

[Curriculum is] a particular, historically formed

knowledge that inscribes rules and standards
by which we reason about the world and our
self as a productive member of that world
Curriculum is a disciplining technology that
directs how the individual is to act, feel, talk
and see the world and self. As such,
curriculum is a form of social regulation.
Popkewitz, T. (1997). The production of reason and
power: curriculum history and intellectual traditions.
Journal of Curriculum Studies, 29(2), 132.

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

Basis of national curriculum

Promoting world-class curriculum and
assessment:
oa solid foundation in skills and
knowledge on which further learning
and adult life can be built
odeep knowledge and skills that will
enable advanced learning and an ability
to create new ideas and translate them
into practical applications
ogeneral capabilities that underpin
flexible and critical thinking, a capacity
to work with others and an ability to
move across subject disciplines to
develop new expertise.
http://www.curriculum.edu.au/mceetya/melbo
urne_declaration,25979.html

What is the Australian

What is the Australian Curriculum?
Curriculum?
LEARNING AREAS/
SUBJECT DISCIPLINES

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

o Critical and creative

thinking
o Personal and social
capability
o Intercultural
understanding
o Ethical behaviour
o Literacy
o Numeracy
o ICT

CROSS-CURRICULUM
PRIORITIES

o Aboriginal and Torres

Strait Islander
histories and cultures
o Asia and Australias
engagement with
Asia
o Sustainability

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

Victorian timelines Phase

1: F-10
English, Mathematics, History and Science
o Professional development F-10
o School-based planning and trialling F-10
o ACARA drafting of Years 11-12 curriculum
o Implementation of English, Mathematics, History and
Science F 10

2012

2013

Victorian timelines all

domains English

2013

Science
Humanities - History
Mathematics

2014

Humanities - Geography
The Arts
Languages?

2015

Health and PE?

Technologies, including ICT?
Business and economics?
Civics and citizenship?

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

Digital literacy does need to be taught: young people have

usually acquired some knowledge of computer systems,
but their knowledge is patchy. The idea that teaching this
is unnecessary because of the sheer ubiquity of
technology that surrounds young people as they are
growing up the digital native should be treated with
great caution.
Shut down or restart? The way forward for computing in UK
schools, January 2012, p 21

AusVELS key features

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

Key differences - English

AusVELS viewed through the
language modes of:
o Reading and viewing
o Speaking and listening
o Writing

Key differences - English

o AC curriculum viewed by:
Language

Literature

Literacy

Language
variation and
change

Literature and
context

Texts in context

Language for
interaction

Responding to
literature

Interacting with
others

Text structure and Examining

organisation
literature

Interpreting,
analysing and
evaluating

Expressing and
developing ideas

Creating texts

Sound and letter

knowledge

Creating
literature

o VELS viewed by Reading, Writing, Speaking

and listening

Key differences Mathematics

o The AC and VELS have much in
common
o Four proficiency strands, similar in
purpose to current VELS Maths
Working mathematically dimension.
o Achievement standards are written
for each level however in AusVELS
they will be organised around each
content strand.
29

AusVELS - History
o Two strands:
Historical knowledge and understanding
Historical skills

o Content descriptions and Achievement

standards included for F - 3
o History includes Depth studies for Levels 7 to 10
o Content descriptions for each level for Historical
knowledge and understanding but across band
levels for Historical skills
o Achievement standards written for each level F10

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.
31

Assessment and reporting

See circular to schools 62/2012
http://
www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/correspondence/notices/2012/62.
html

Key reporting message:

For 2013 the current reporting requirements will
continue to apply.
oSpecific information for student reporting of Phase 1
studies
oReporting of remaining VELS domains

Assessment and reporting: Phase 1,

Foundation
2013
Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Assessment and reporting

Remaining VELS domains
Student reporting will continue as per current
arrangements for the remaining VELS discipline
domains and the Interdisciplinary Learning and
Physical, Personal and Social Learning strands.
Student reports for Years Prep/Foundation to 2
will continue as per current arrangements for
English, Mathematics, Health and Physical
Education, The Arts and Interpersonal
Development.

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.

Victorian timelines Phase 1: senior

secondary

English, Mathematics, History and Science

o ACARA drafting of Years 11-12 curriculum

2012

o Implementation of English, Mathematics, History and

Science F 10
o Packaging of agreed Years 11-12 curriculum into VCE
study designs

2013

o Implementation workshops for new study designs in

English, Mathematics, History and Science

2014

o New study designs introduced for Units 1 and 2 English,

Mathematics, History and Science

2015
?

o New study designs introduced for Units 3 and 4 English,

Mathematics, History and Science

2016
?

o Accreditation period of new study designs

20152020

Senior secondary

Process
o Agreed content to be packaged into
VCE study designs:

Rationale
Areas of study
Outcomes
Key knowledge
Key skills
Assessment

Other VCE studies?

o All other current VCE studies will
continue to be offered as per existing
arrangements.
o New subjects (e.g. Extended
Investigation) will continue to be
introduced.

VET and VCAL

o Current VET
arrangements will
continue
o VCAL will continue to be
offered

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 Early years

o Charts that indicate linkages and
continuity between the VEYLDF and the
VELS have been developed and can be
found at: http://
www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/earlyyears/vfldout
comes/index.html
o Government and Catholic schools will be
required to report student achievement
in F-2 against the AusVELS standards.
However the VEYLDF outcomes can be
used as curriculum organisers at F-2.
o The VCAA is currently working with five
schools to develop case studies on this
use of the VEYLDF outcomes.

Resources
http://www.scootle.edu.au/ec/p/
home

Catholic schools in Victoria

contact:
sxavier@ceomelb.catholic.edu
.au

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

Teaching content does not

teaching a
timetabled subject

How will we structure learning?

Refer Template
Bank

General capabilities
o Literacy
o Numeracy
o ICT

o Personal and social

capability
o Critical and
creative thinking
o Intercultural
understanding
o Ethical behaviour

general capabilities that underpin flexible and critical thinking, a

capacity to work with others and an ability to move across subject
disciplines to develop new expertise.

Personal and social capability Perseverance

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.

Report on the Attitudes and Behaviours for Learning program(AB4L), 2011

Professor Michael Bernard, University of Melbourne
http://www.youcandoit.com.au/Assets/Files/Helping_great_teachers_make_great
_students_Full_Final[1].
pdf

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

o Teenagers and young adults of

low socioeconomic status (SES)
who have a history of in-depth
arts involvement show better
academic outcomes than do lowSES youth who have less arts
involvement.
o Among low-SES students
Eighth graders who had high
levels of arts engagement from
kindergarten through elementary
school showed higher test scores
in science and writing than did
students who had lower levels of
arts engagement over the same
period.

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
57

Contact details
Victorian Curriculum and Assessment
Authority
(VCAA)
email: vcaa@edumail.vic.gov.au
www.vcaa.vic.edu.au