Respectful Relationships within the Victorian Curriculum F-10

Whole school approach The Victorian Curriculum F-10 provides the basis for the design of teaching and learning programs. Content descriptions identify what teachers are expected to teach and what students are expected to learn Achievement standards describe what students are typically able to do and are the basis for assessment and reporting student achievement

Respectful relationships in the Victorian Curriculum The development of respectful relationships teaching and learning programs in schools will draw upon: Health and Physical Education Personal and Social Capability. The two curricula are complementary The Personal and Social Capability (P&SC) involves learning to recognise and regulate emotions, develop empathy for others and understand relationships, establish and build a framework for positive relationships, work effectively in teams and develop leadership skills HPE enables students to recognise personal qualities, understand identity and strategies for respectful relationships Together HPE and P&SC develops knowledge and skills to promote respectful relationships that are safe and equitable.

Health and Physical Education Structure Strands and sub-strands Strands Personal, Social and Community Health Movement and Physical Activity Sub-strands Being healthy, safe and active Moving the body Communicating and interacting for health and wellbeing Understanding movement Contributing to healthy and active communities Learning through movement Achievement standards The first achievement standard at Foundation and then at Levels 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10. A curriculum for students with disabilities is provided in this learning area.

HPE Structure - Focus areas The focus areas provide the context through which the Content Descriptors and Achievement Standards are taught and assessed Alcohol and other drugs Active play and minor games Food and nutrition Challenge and adventure activities Health benefits of physical activity Fundamental movement skills Mental health and wellbeing Games and sports Relationships and sexuality Lifelong physical activities Safety Rhythmic and expressive movement Relationships and sexuality focuses on establishing and managing respectful relationships. Students develop knowledge, understanding and skills in relation to strategies for respectfully relating to and interacting with others. They also develop explore strategies for relationships where there is an imbalance of power such as bullying, harassment, violence and discrimination including violence based on race, gender and sexuality. Safety addresses safety issues that students may encounter in their daily lives, including those in the home. Students develop knowledge, understanding and skills to make safe decisions and behave in ways that protect their own safety and that of others, including strategies for managing with unsafe or uncomfortable situations, managing personal safety and safety in relationships and dating.

Increasing complexity Continuum of learning Increasing complexity Level 3-4 Describe factors that can positively influence relationships and personal wellbeing Level 5-6 Practise skills to establish and manage relationships Level 7-8 Investigate the benefits of relationships and examine their impact on their own and others’ health and wellbeing Level 9-10 Investigate how empathy and ethical decision-making contribute to respectful relationships Health and Physical Education content descriptions

Personal and Social Capability Structure Strands and Sub-strands Self-Awareness and Management Social Awareness and Management Recognition and expression of emotions Relationships and diversity Development of resilience Collaboration Achievement standards The first achievement standard at Foundation and then at Levels 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10. A curriculum for students with disabilities will be developed in this learning area.

Explicit teaching and assessment The Personal and Social Capability describes social and emotional learning as discrete knowledge, understandings and skills, rather than a statement of pedagogy For example, just because a student completes a task as part of the team, this does not mean that they acquire the knowledge, understandings and skills necessary to work collaboratively with others. The knowledge, understandings and skills for working collaboratively, such as communication, negotiation, time management and conflict resolution, need to be explicitly taught and assessed. Successful social and emotional learning programs move beyond giving information to explicitly teaching and providing opportunity for students to practise interpersonal skills. 

How would you teach and assess this? An example Level 7-8 Content descriptor: Recognise the impact of personal boundaries, intimacy, distribution of power and social and cultural norms and mores on the ways relationships are expressed Achievement standard (part of): They identify indicators of respectful relationships in a range of social and work-related situations.

Nerida Matthews Curriculum Manager, Health and Physical Education VCAA Phone: 90321721 Email: matthews.nerida.a@edumail.vic.gov.au