Lyla Lindsey
The Australian Curriculum has undergone several changes since its first implementation in 2011. Developed and reviewed by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, the curriculum aims to provide a clear understanding of what students should learn, regardless of their location or school system. While the curriculum has faced implementation issues due to state reluctance to adopt it, it continues to evolve with version 9.0 endorsed in 2022, focusing on essential content, cross-curriculum priorities, and truth-telling, particularly regarding colonial injustice and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Reviewed every 6 years | |
| More specific and direct content descriptions | |
| More inquiry-based learning | |
| Changes in maths to help students master essential concepts, facts, and skills at the right time | |
| A shift towards a digital format | |
| A stronger focus on phonics in English | |
| More emphasis on making connections between different areas and skills in mathematics | |
| A focus on truth-telling in Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) subjects | |
| Removal of "Science as a human endeavour" | |
| Content reorganised with the verb "illustrate" used to provide flexibility and more opportunities for creativity and differentiation | |
| Examples included in content descriptions to support teacher understanding |
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What You'll Learn
The Australian Curriculum's focus on truth-telling
The Australian Curriculum has undergone significant changes, with a focus on creating a more "stripped-back" and "teachable" curriculum. One of the most notable changes is the inclusion of truth-telling, particularly regarding Australia's colonial past and its impact on Indigenous people.
For the first time, the Australian Curriculum has introduced truth-telling about the country's history, answering the Uluru Statement from the Heart's call for "truth-telling about our history." This shift aims to provide a deeper understanding of the history and legacies of colonisation, which have previously been unknown to many Australians. The new curriculum includes content on how Reconciliation is an ongoing process of truth-telling and healing between First Nations Australians and other Australians.
The inclusion of truth-telling in the curriculum has the potential to spark reflection and dialogue, marking a significant departure from the historical denial often seen in the pre-Apology era. However, it is important to note that truth-telling alone may not be enough to disrupt colonial knowledge and power structures. To genuinely support social transformation, the curriculum must help non-Indigenous young people understand how past injustices continue to impact their present lives.
Additionally, the changes in the Australian Curriculum have resulted in a 21% reduction in content descriptions. This alteration aims to reduce the teaching burden on teachers and the learning expectations of students. The curriculum now focuses on essential concepts, with some content being moved between year levels to ensure students encounter them at the right time. For example, percentages are now introduced in Year 5 instead of Year 6.
The implementation of these curriculum changes varies across states and sectors. Queensland, NSW, and Tasmania have announced plans to adopt the updated curriculum in state schools starting in 2024, while Victoria will implement its new curriculum in 2026. Catholic and Independent schools are expected to transition to the new curriculum on a staggered basis.
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The inclusion of First Nations histories and cultures
The Australian Curriculum has undergone significant changes, with a particular focus on enhancing the inclusion of First Nations histories and cultures. This move aims to address the gap in learning outcomes between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and their non-Indigenous peers. ACARA, the body responsible for the curriculum, acknowledges the need to provide opportunities for all students to engage in reconciliation, respect, and recognition of the world's oldest continuous living cultures.
In the latest version of the curriculum, there is an emphasis on ensuring that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students see themselves, their identities, and their cultures reflected across all learning areas. This includes the development of 95 new elaborations with accompanying teacher background information to facilitate the integration of First Nations histories and cultures into various subjects, including English and Science. These elaborations were created with input from ACARA's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Group and Taskforce, ensuring cultural sensitivity and accuracy.
One notable change is the inclusion of references to First Nations local knowledge and cultures in the English curriculum. This is supported by organisations such as the Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE) and the Primary English Teaching Association Australia (PETAA). By incorporating First Nations content, the curriculum encourages students to explore different perspectives and promotes a justice-oriented education. It also provides opportunities for meaningful dialogue, helping students develop a deeper understanding of the diverse ways of being, knowing, thinking, and doing within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
The Science curriculum now acknowledges the scientific contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, recognising their millennia of scientific knowledge and practices. This integration demonstrates how Indigenous history, culture, knowledge, and understanding intersect with core scientific concepts, enriching the learning experience for all students. Additionally, the curriculum highlights the significant contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples on a local, national, and global scale, celebrating their diverse societies and kinship structures.
These changes to the Australian Curriculum reflect a commitment to creating a more inclusive and culturally responsive education system. By incorporating First Nations histories and cultures, the curriculum aims to improve learning outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students while also fostering respect and understanding among all students, contributing to a more inclusive and informed future generation.
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Implementation issues and criticism
The Australian Curriculum has been subject to several changes, with the most recent review taking place between 2020 and 2021. One of the main goals of the changes was to create a more "stripped-back" and "teachable" curriculum, focusing on "essential content". However, the implementation of these changes has varied across different states and sectors. While some states, such as Queensland and Tasmania, have announced plans to adopt the updated curriculum in state schools starting in 2024, others like Western Australia are still determining how to adapt the changes to their context. This lack of uniformity in implementation can create inconsistencies in the education received by students across Australia.
Teachers have also expressed concerns about the changes. They highlight the need to understand the implications for their subjects and adjust their teaching approaches accordingly. The reduction in content descriptions, for instance, may ease the burden on teachers and students but could also limit the flexibility they previously enjoyed in how they teach and learn. In the proposed revisions for Western Australia, teachers have pointed out that certain changes, such as the removal of "verbs" from science and understanding curriculum descriptions, may reduce opportunities for creativity in the classroom.
The shift towards a digital format for curriculum information has been welcomed as it eliminates the need for printing and distributing syllabus documents. However, this also places a greater emphasis on teachers' access to digital resources and their ability to navigate online platforms to find relevant information. This may create implementation issues, especially in regions with limited digital infrastructure or among educators who are less familiar with digital tools.
Another point of criticism is the curriculum's treatment of colonial injustice and reconciliation with First Nations Australians. While there is a growing consensus about the importance of truth-telling in education, some argue that the curriculum does not adequately locate responsibility for historical injustices. It has been observed that the curriculum creates an impression of agentless violence and normalises or downplays the effects of colonial violence by comparing it to the contribution to cultural diversity. As a result, colonial power structures and ideologies that legitimised violence against minority groups remain unchallenged.
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Changes to maths and English courses
The Australian Curriculum has undergone significant changes, with governments working together with the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) since 2008 to define a national curriculum that reflects the educational needs of all Australian students. The latest version, Version 9, has been approved by Education Ministers and is available for implementation from 2023 onwards.
Regarding maths and English courses, there have been several proposed changes. Firstly, the new curriculum aims to reduce the content taught and learned by students, with a 21% reduction in content descriptions. This "stripped-back" approach aims to support deeper conceptual understanding. In English, there is a shift towards more specific and direct content descriptions, with a focus on language and literacy rather than literature. The use of terms like "predictable texts" and references to combining contextual, semantic, grammatical, and phonic knowledge have been removed.
In mathematics, there has been criticism of the removal of extension maths courses in the Year 9-10 and Year 11-12 syllabuses, with concerns that it may "dumb down" the curriculum. The new curriculum will include statistics, and the Extension 1 and 2 topics will be replaced with an easier specialist maths course. These changes aim to better prepare students for the future and equip them with skills for jobs that may not even exist yet.
It's worth noting that the implementation of the new curriculum varies across states and sectors. Queensland, for example, will adopt the updated curriculum in state schools from 2024, starting with English and Mathematics. NSW will also implement a new curriculum from 2024, while Tasmania's government schools will do so from 2023. Catholic and Independent schools are expected to adopt the new curriculum on a staggered basis.
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The development of a national curriculum
The Australian Curriculum has been in place for several years, with the national curriculum being reviewed every six years to ensure it meets the needs of students. The most recent review took place between 2020 and 2021, and the goal of the changes was to develop a more "stripped-back" and "teachable" curriculum focusing on "essential content". The new curriculum reduces the number of content descriptions by 21%, allowing teachers to focus on teaching essential concepts and giving students a more manageable amount of material to learn.
One of the key changes in the new curriculum is the focus on specific and direct content descriptions, especially in English. For example, the phrase "combining contextual, semantic, grammatical, and phonic knowledge" has been removed, with a stronger emphasis on phonics. In maths, content has been rearranged to help students master essential concepts at the right time. For instance, percentages are now introduced in Year 5 rather than Year 6.
The curriculum for science has also undergone significant changes, with a shift towards more inquiry-based learning and more prescriptive content descriptions. The Western Australian Curriculum has proposed changes to the science curriculum, with a focus on improving the clarity of the content and providing examples to support teachers in planning for teaching, learning, and assessment. These examples are not required content but rather act as guidance on what could be taught.
The new national curriculum also includes a focus on truth-telling in Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) subjects. This includes the addition of content on Reconciliation and the ongoing process of truth-telling and healing between First Nations Australians and other Australians. This marks a shift from the previous era of historical denial and a more positive narrative of the national past.
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Frequently asked questions
The eight key learning areas in the Australian Curriculum are English, Mathematics, Science, Humanities and Social Sciences, Health and Physical Education, Languages, Technologies, and the Arts.
The three cross-curriculum priorities are sustainability, Asia and Australia's engagement with Asia, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures.
The Australian Curriculum has faced criticism for its implementation issues due to some states' reluctance or slowness in changing state curricula. It has also been criticised for lacking an overarching framework, being overcrowded with content, diminishing the teaching of literature, and failing to cater to the full range of students.
The Australian Curriculum has undergone several changes since its first implementation in 2011. The latest version, 9.0, released in 2022, focuses on 'deepening students' understanding of First Nations Australian histories and cultures' and includes a focus on truth-telling in the Humanities and Social Sciences subjects.
