Intercultural Capability Sharon Foster Manager, Victorian Curriculum F-10

Agenda Intercultural Capability in the Victorian Curriculum F-10 – understanding the intent and the structure How to plan using the curriculum FAQs

Victorian Curriculum – Design and Structure Design and structure reaffirms: the importance of discipline-based learning approach, where the disciplines are regarded as both enduring and dynamic capabilities are a set of discrete knowledge and skills, not a statement of pedagogies and students benefit from explicit instruction that knowledge and skills are transferrable across the curriculum and therefore are not duplicated. http://victoriancurriculum.vcaa.vic.edu.au/overview/curriculum-design/learning-areas-and-capabilities

Victorian Curriculum F–10 by 2017 Learning Areas Capabilities The Arts Dance Drama Media Arts Music Visual Communication Design (7-10) Visual Arts English Humanities Civics and Citizenship Economics and Business Geography History Languages Health and Physical Education Mathematics Science Technologies Design and Technologies Digital Technologies * Critical and creative thinking Intercultural* Ethical* Personal and social Used to answer the quiz questions Q 1, 2, 3, 8 (marked with *)

Aims Intercultural capability aims to develop knowledge, understandings and skills to enable students to: demonstrate an awareness of and respect for cultural diversity within the community reflect on how intercultural experiences influence attitudes, values and beliefs recognise the importance of acceptance and appreciation of cultural diversity for a cohesive community.

Strand Structure Cultural Practices Cultural Diversity Involves students in describing, observing and analysing characteristics of their own cultural identities and those of others. They compare their own knowledge and experiences with those of others, learning to recognise commonalities, acknowledging differences between their lives and seek to understand and engage in critical reflection about such differences. The ability to reflect on the meaning of intercultural experiences is an essential element in intercultural learning. Students use critical reflection to better understand the perspectives and actions of individuals and groups in specific situations and how these can be shaped by culture. Involves students understanding the nature of cultural diversity. Students critically examine the concept of respect, challenges and opportunities created by cultural diversity and the way in which cultural diversity shapes and contributes to social cohesion. Achievement standards The first achievement standard at Foundation to Level 2 and then at Levels 4, 6, 8 and 10.

Achievement Standards Content descriptions Achievement Standards Mandated curriculum

Key messages Intercultural capability fosters skills that assist students to negotiate across barriers that may arise from differences. Students will examine, reflect on and challenge assumptions, stereotypes and prejudices and explore how intercultural experiences can influence and change attitudes and beliefs. Intercultural capability is strongly connected to those areas of learning concerned with people and their societies, relationships and interactions. Intercultural capability should be read together with the Personal and Social capability knowledge and skills related to empathy, openness, respect and conflict resolution.

Progression of learning

Languages Communicating Understanding Strand Communicating Understanding Using language for communicative purposes in interpreting, creating and exchanging meaning. Analysing and understanding language and culture as resources for interpreting and shaping meaning in intercultural exchange. Sub-strands Socialising Interacting orally and in writing to exchange ideas, opinions, experiences, thoughts and feelings, and participating in planning, negotiating, deciding and taking action. Systems of language Understanding language as a system that includes sound, writing, grammatical and textual conventions. Informing Obtaining, processing, interpreting and conveying information through a range of oral, written and multimodal texts, developing and applying knowledge. Language variation and change Understanding how languages vary in use (register, style, standard and non-standard varieties) and change over time and place. Creating Engaging with imaginative experience by participating in, responding to and creating a range of texts, such as stories, songs, drama and music. The role of language and culture Analysing and understanding the role of language and culture in the exchange of meaning. Translating Moving between languages and cultures orally and in writing, recognising different interpretations and explaining these to others.   Reflecting Participating in intercultural exchange, questioning reactions and assumptions, and considering how interaction shapes communication and identity.

Dealing with a new curriculum Intercultural capability is a new curriculum Teachers and students need to learn the terminology in the curriculum. It provides students with the vocabulary to describe their learning As this is a new curriculum, older students may need to begin their learning at lower levels. This will provide the necessary scaffolding and ultimately support progression of learning

The importance of the glossary

How to implement the capabilities The Victorian Curriculum F–10 includes capabilities, which are a set of discrete knowledge and skills that can and should be taught explicitly. It is expected that the skills and knowledge defined in the capabilities will be developed, practised, deployed and demonstrated by students in and through their learning across the curriculum.

How and where to teach this? Level 5-6 Content description Explain how intercultural experiences can influence beliefs and behaviours, including developing a critical perspective on and respect for their own and others cultures Achievement standard (part of): ... students demonstrate an understanding how beliefs and practices can be influenced by culture and explain how intercultural experiences can influence beliefs and behaviours.   Possibilities – Where will it be: introduced/developed practised deployed demonstrated

How and where to teach this? Introduced/ developed Practised Deployed Demonstrated English Maths The Arts History Geography Civics and Citizenship Economics and Business Languages Health and Physical Education Science Digital Technologies Design and Technologies

Deep familiarity to support curriculum planning How deeply familiar are teachers with the terrain through which learners are progressing (the curriculum continuum)? How are teaching and learning activities sequenced? Is it explicit what is being looked for and valued as evidence of successful learning? What feedback will be provided to students and parents in forms that make clear progress along the continuum?

Planning for progression in learning Content description Explain how intercultural experiences can influence beliefs and behaviours, including developing a critical perspective on and respect for their own and others cultures What will you teach to progress the student’s learning? Examine how various cultural groups are represented, by whom they are represented, and comment on the purpose and effect of these representations Achievement standard By the end of Level 6, students demonstrate an understanding how beliefs and practices can be influenced by culture and explain how intercultural experiences can influence beliefs and behaviours. What will the students be able to demonstrate as they are progressing towards the standards? By the end of Level 8, students explain how cultural practices may change over time in a range of contexts. They understand how cultural groups can be represented, and comment on the effects of these representations.

Curriculum mapping Why? Mapping identifies the extent of curriculum coverage in units of work and clearly links teaching, learning and assessment while working with the curriculum continuum. How? Mapping templates support teachers to identify where content descriptions and achievement standards are being explicitly addressed within the school’s teaching and learning program.

Step 2 – Analysing the findings Prompts for the analysis process: Are all content descriptions equal? Do you think they all take the same amount of time to teach? Is anything being over taught? Is anything being missed completely or given insufficient attention? Is there sufficient “time on task”? Are you allowing enough time to develop knowledge ,understanding and skills that are included in the curriculum and thus enable students to progress along the continuum? Does the unit/sequence of lessons cater for a range of students abilities? Does the unit/sequence of lessons provide access and challenge for all students in the cohort? Is it easier to teach in depth or more broadly? Is there a logical sequence?

Whole-school curriculum planning Is not the responsibility of the individual teacher – it is a team effort Recognises that we are educating the whole child across many years of schooling - curriculum is designed as a continuum of learning Without the “what” students should learn, pedagogy is a process without purpose Deep familiarity with the curriculum is essential http://curriculumplanning.vcaa.vic.edu.au/home

Importance of curriculum planning http://curriculumplanning.vcaa.vic.edu.au/sat/self-assessment-tool

Curriculum planning considerations Curriculum planning can be based on two-year cycles rather than a yearly cycle. What are the implications for your school? Do you have an agreed approach to documentation? What would be a realistic timeframe to prepare and review the relevant documentation?

FAQ What is the relationship between the Personal and Social capability and the Intercultural capability? What is the relationship between the Languages curriculum and the Intercultural capability? Is the school environment important for effective intercultural learning?

Location / Contact details VCAA websites Victorian Curriculum F-10 http://victoriancurriculum.vcaa.vic.edu.au Victorian Curriculum F-10 Resources and Support http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Pages/foundation10/viccurriculum/viccurr-resources.aspx Curriculum Planning Resources: http://curriculumplanning.vcaa.vic.edu.au/home Queries Email: vcaa.f10.curriculum@edumail.vic.gov.au Sharon Foster – 90321680 Email – foster.sharon.a@edumil.vic.gov.au