Curriculum K-12 Directorate

A period of public consultation, with the opportunity to provide feedback on the draft Australian Curriculum in English, Mathematics, Science and History, will occur from: 1 March until 23 May schools across Australia will be trialling the new curriculum over the next three months.

The purpose of the Department’s consultation process is to initially:  Brief teachers about the draft Australian Curriculum: History  Seek feedback from teachers about the draft Australian Curriculum  Identify issues for implementation of the Australian Curriculum: History for teachers

This round of consultation must focus on the Draft Australian Curriculum that has been presented. This consultation process provides the opportunity to ensure that the Australian Curriculum: History  Is a quality Curriculum  Is clearly understood and can be implemented by teachers at all stages of their career

ACARA: Board of Studies: curriculum/ Department of Education and Training: au/home/consultation.htm

Online Consultation forums have been established so that you can have a say

The process of implementing the Australian Curriculum is a matter for each state. Commencement of implementation will depend on:  extent of difference with existing curriculum  alignment with existing credentialing arrangements provided the K–10 Australian Curriculum is implemented by 2013.

 There is no time allocation identified for the Australian Curriculum: History  Your feedback should be based on how successfully the curriculum can be taught in the current time allocated to history

The Australian Curriculum History:  is developed for K-10 and Years 11 and 12  is described in years not stages  is described around content descriptions NOT outcomes no stem to content i.e. students learn... includes content addressing 10 General capabilities includes content addressing Cross curriculum dimensions

Australian Curriculum identifies essential content that all students should be taught, by year of schooling. The content descriptions will incorporate, where appropriate:  the 10 general capabilities e.g. ICT, literacy, numeracy, thinking skills, creativity  and cross-curriculum dimensions in ways appropriate to each learning area

The General Capabilities: literacyself management * numeracyteamwork * ICTintercultural understanding thinking skillsethical behaviour creativitysocial competence *

The Cross-Curriculum Dimensions:  Indigenous perspectives, to ensure that all young Australians have the opportunity to learn about, acknowledge and respect the history and culture of Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders  a commitment to sustainable patterns of living which will be reflected in curriculum documents  skills, knowledge and understandings related to Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia

Australian Curriculum is described around content descriptions NOT outcomes Each learning area includes:  Content descriptions which specify what teachers are expected to teach  Elaborations which are examples that illustrate each content description

 Achievement standards that describe the quality of learning (the depth of understanding, extent of knowledge and sophistication of skill) expected of students at each year level  Annotated student work samples will illustrate the achievement standard at each year level.

An achievement standard is an expectation of the quality of learning that students should reach by a particular point in their schooling (e.g. the depth of their understanding, the extent of their knowledge and the sophistication of their skills).

For K-10, they will be represented at every year by:  a statement of the learning typically expected of students for that year  a set of work samples that will illustrate achievement of the standard. They will be linked to the A-E reporting framework.

Each year has a focus  The Year 7 curriculum focuses on history from the time of the earliest human communities to the end of the Ancient period (c BP - c.500AD). and broad enquiry questions  what are the defining characteristics of societies?  how did people live in other times and places?  who should rule in a society?

An understanding of world history will enhance students’ appreciation of Australian history. It will enable them to appreciate Australia’s distinctive path of social, economic and political development, its position in the Asia-Pacific region, and global interrelationships that are essential to an informed and active participation in Australia’s diverse society

Years 7 – 10 includes  An overview designed to introduce the broad content and contexts for study  Depth studies investigate studies in greater depth providing scope for the development of historical skills  School developed depth studies in Years 7 - 9

The history curriculum is organised into two interrelated strands  Historical knowledge and understanding  Historical skills

This strand includes skills that are used in the process of historical inquiry associated with:  historical questions and research;  the analysis and use of sources;  perspectives and interpretations;  comprehension and communication. There is an increasing emphasis on historical interpretation and the use of evidence within this strand.

Kindergarten to Year 2 students begin to look at the stories of their families and communities  Examples include:  how families commemorate past events that are important to them  terms that are used to express time such as tomorrow and a long time ago  significance of local place names

 The content of Years 3 to 6 broadens to regional and national history.  It includes life in Australia before 1800, the building of the Australian nation and Australia’s links with other nations.

 Year 7 focuses on history from the time of the earliest human communities to the end of the Ancient period (c BC–c.500 AD).

 Year 8 focuses on history from the end of the Ancient period to the beginning of the Modern period (c.500–1750).

 Year 9 focuses on the history of the Modern World and Australia from 1750 to 1901  The history of Australia is 40% of course time

 Year 10 focuses on the history of Australia and the Modern World from 1901 to the present.  The history of Australia is 60% of course content

 Broad feedback on the curriculum is sought in relation to:  Content coverage  Content clarity  Content placement and sequence  Manageability for teachers  The digital format and layout

More specific feedback on the curriculum is sought in relation to:  Content descriptions  Content elaborations  Achievement standards  Structure of the curriculum  General capabilities  Cross-curriculum dimensions

 Use the Curriculum Support forum  Send your feedback to Pauline Sheppard SCA HSIE 7-12 Phone Brian Elliott Manager HSIE Phone