The Future: A Curriculum for Children

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Our Ehidrei The Future

A CURRICULUM FOR CHILDREN

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Our Children The Future

A Curriculum for Children

Department of Education and The Arts Tasmania

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Acknowledgements

The preparation of material for Our Children The Future has been the continued concern for twenty seven working parties drawn from the whole of Tasmania It has involved parents and other members of the community as well as educators from the Department of Education and The Arts A full list of the convenors and members of the working p irties appears at the end of each booklet in the series

The great commitment and dedication of all those who took part is acknowledged by those of us who will benefit from their hard work In particular the work of the convenors of the working parties the writing team the management group and those who contributed from the Curriculum Services Branch of the Department of Education and The Arts and the Centre for Education of the University of Tasmania is acknowledged with grateful thanks We also acknowledge the con tnbutions of the many groups and individuals who supported the project with submissions ideas and information

Jenni Connor Val Elliott Members of the writing team

Jenni Connor Melvin Freestone Barry Smith Elizabeth Daly Malcolm Kays Phil Tyson Val Elliott Ann Revie

Consultants to the project

Penny Andersen Graham Fish Wayne Ransley Garth Boomer Darryl Fisher Jan Webberley Kevin Collis Philip Hughes Bevis Yaxley ASCIS Catalogu ng in publication entry

(prepared by TASCIS) A Curr culum for ch Idren

vi 21 p

(Our children the luture) ISBN 0 7246 18600 1 Educat on Primary 2 Education Curriculums

I Tasmania Departme t of Education and The Arts II Seres

372 19 DDC 20 372 19 ADDC 11 Publ cat on Officer Guy Deak n Design and Layout Wendy Partr dge Photography Frank Mclvor Editing Word Wise

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Our Children The Future Overview

Our Children The Future is a departmental policy guide con sisting of five booklets entitled

Yesterday Today and Tomorrow Teaching and Learning

A Curriculum for Children Successful Schools

Monitoring and Assessing Children s Learning

These five statements are intended to guide high quality learn ing programs in primary schools in Tasmania

They describe the principles which underpin effective teaching and learning

The statements provide a clear cohesive sense of direction to our schools and a framework within which they can develop programs

Our Children The Future will be linked with policy statements relating to other levels of our education system leading to the development of a statement of educational principles for kin dergarten to year 12 in Tasmanian schools

The initial readership for these booklets is the teaching profes sion but much that they contain will hold interest for a wider audience of parents and other members of the community The first booklet Yesterday Today and Tomorrow includes statements on the nature and purposes of primary schooling the characteristics of young children and issues of social

justice excellence quality and equity continuity and coher ence in schooling and the national curriculum It also provides an introduction to the issues raised in the other four documents The second booklet Teaching and Learning encompasses current beliefs and theories about how people learn It de scribes the factors which affect learning success and strongly stresses the direct interventionist role of the teacher The third booklet A Curriculum for Children clearly defines the

essential learnings which should comprise a balanced pro gram for each year of primary education These essential learnings include both the capabilities children should be developing and the fields of inquiry that they should be studying

The fourth booklet Successful Schools brings together issues raised in earlier booklets and describes what a school will look like if all of the previously described conditions are in place It discusses the role of schools and the relationship between them and their communities It also identifies the characteris tics of successful schools and deals with the issues of resourcing self management and accountability

The fifth booklet Monitoring and Assessing Children s Learning deals with the relationship between the purposes for which information about children s progress is collected and the form of its collection and use

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Introduction

The world that children experience both inside and outside school Is continuing to change at an ever increasing rate and the learning program offered by schools must help students to cope with such change

This booklet describes the main features of the curriculum in Tasmania from kindergarten to year 12 The term capabilities is used to indicate that young children are continually developing and gain ing control over many skills understandings and attitudes The capabilities described in this state ment are similar to the competencies described in the policy document for secondary schools entitled Secondary Education The Future (1987) Because many people associate the term competencies with end points it has not been used here In A Curncu lum for Children the list of capabilities also includes kinaesthetic capabilities which have a particularly high profile in primary education

The description that follows gives direction to the interpretation of national goals for education in a curriculum for Tasmanian children

School programs are developed around system guidelines that complement national curriculum statements in each of the major areas of learning The detail of each school s curriculum is determined by the school community based on the needs of the children and the expectations of the parents and the community The whole staff of a school needs to be involved when decisions are being made about the content and processes appropriate for the school s education program

A curriculum for children 1

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For a school s program to be effectively implemented its teachers require support and professional development opportunities These need to be adequately resourced continually monitored and evaluated and they need to include opportunities for parental participation

Context

Most children move school at least once as they progress from kindergarten to year 12 Many of them move more frequently during their primary years often from district to district and sometimes between states The curriculum in primary schools must be capable of accommodating the discontinuities and unsettling effects of an increasingly mobile population

Children live in a world of expanding horizons Changes in cultural values social aspirations and practices and in environmental and economic cir cumstances often seem bewildering For children and their communities these changes raise both opportunities and dilemmas The children need to be able to deal with the challenges and need to be equipped to affect the course of their own lives and the lives of others in positive ways They must be innovative knowledgeable resourceful and enter prising with a finely developed capacity for working co operatively and compassionately with other people They need to bring these qualities to cultural social environmental and economic issues They also need to gain the personal knowledge that will enable them to take action in everyday life and thus contribute to a just and free society

The curriculum in the primary school must take account of recent national and international trends in education Educators are accountable to their local communities totheeducationsystem andtonational priorities Clear statements of purpose are required both to inform the community and to guide the practice of teachers

Associated with the current national developments is a shift in the pattern of decision making about some aspects of the curriculum Schools are strongly

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encouraged to be self managing in partnership with f their communities To ensure coherence equity and i continuous and comparable provision for all chil

; dren explicit system wide policy statements guide these activities Within these policy frameworks schools and their communities make significant

! decisions about the nature of their curriculum its implementation and the management of resources The expectations that children and parents have of schooling have changed greatly Formal education , is now seen as a shared responsibility between i teachers parents and school communities This participation involves contributing formally to school decision making participating in classroom pro . grams helping with general organisational tasks and giving support for childrens learning in the home by promoting school policies and curriculum i priorities Participation does not stop there It also ' entails communicating with teachers about the home ' factors that may affect a child s progress Learning , is thus a joint enterprise and not solely the respon

1 sibility of the schools

4 A curriculum for children

Objectives and expectations

The curriculum covers all the provisions that schools make for childrens learning and development It involves the content of courses the activities involved the teaching methods the learning environment the values espoused the relationships the way teachers and classes are organised and the appropriate use of resources

The curriculum in primary schools should excite children s curiosity fire their imagination and kindle lifelong interests It should also form the basis for further learning and for participation in society Children must be encouraged to respond to high expectations and to work effectively with others They must be supported in their learning and in extending their responsibility for what they learn They learn best when they have confidence in their abilities and a sense of personal worth — qualities that are strongly influenced by the nature of the relationships between children and teachers and by the extent to which they feel part of their school

When children come to school they bring to it their

< individual abilities interests and aspirations teach ers stimulate these often by highlighting and ex tending the students immediate experiences It is through the challenges that teachers provide for them that children build on what they brought to school at the start

Within all their diversity primary schools share a commitment to a set of common objectives that guide the formulation of the curriculum

to engender in children a sense of self worth confidence and personal identity

to promote critical and imaginative thinking through creative self expression

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to encourage independent and interdependent learning

to develop social skills through co operative and constructive activity

to generate a sense of responsibility and of constructive commitment to participation in a culturally diverse society

to develop the knowledge and skills required to be flexible and creative in coping with change to promote an appreciation of the shared and diverse values in Australian society

to stimulate a love of learning and hence the self motivation to go on learning through life to develop commitment to a coherent set of personal and social values and ethical beliefs These purposes guide the all round intellectual social emotional physical and moral development of each child

The curriculum is for all children as well as for each child Care must be taken to ensure that each child irrespective of cultural background sex circumstances and abilities has access to a relevant and high quality learning program

Every child has equal right of access to the learning programs and to the support to participate in them But similar treatment of each child does not necessarily achieve equality Differences must be provided for in the programs and this often involves negotiation of a learning program and teaching methods Social justice in cur riculum provision means relevance as well as equality of access for all children A socially just curriculum enables all children to learn and to go on learning throughout their lives

Provision for learning

Each child is unique bringing to the learning situa tion a particular set of capabilities and predisposi tions These reflect previous experiences and background as well as values and expectations Teachers must provide an environment in which different cultures attitudes and aspirations are val ued As a result each childs identity and self concept will be respected and given scope for further development

Since a child s potential to learn is enhanced in an atmosphere of mutual trust and openness it is es sential that relationships between teachers and chil dren are warm friendly and purposeful This requires sensitive communication and continual support for every child s efforts—including their successes and their difficulties alike

Childrens learning is greatly influenced by their family and the people they know particularly their peers These influences are at least as important as the contributions that teachers make to the develop ment of children s knowledge and their understand ing of the world

Children construct their own knowledge by assimilat ing accommodating and integrating experiences and ideas to form their own patterns of thought Teachers can discover these patterns by observing questioning listening to and interacting with the children This ena bles them to intervene effectively so as to challenge and extend each child A wide variety of experiences provides children with opportunities to apply in many contexts what they know and can do But teachers must also create chances to extend the depth of each child s understandings The tasks that they set should be stimulating and should be carefully adjusted to particu lar learning needs

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Language is central to learning in primary schools Through communication children share emotions and feelings explore ideas and experiences negotiate tasks and make transactions exercise control and judgement as well as developing their imaginations Learning then is concerned with knowledge skills and attitudes as well as with the processes used to acquire them It is continuous and cumulative cover ing all areas of a child s development

All children must have access to a broad and bal anced program of learning in each year of their primary education This encompasses

the development of capabilities — personal linguistic rational creative and kinaesthetic and wide experience in the fields of inquiry — language mathematics health and personal de velopment sciences social education the arts and technology

These essential learnings (described in detail below) are mutually supportive If any one of them is ne glected the learning program becomes inadequate Self managing schools have a responsibility to show how their curriculum provides for each of these essential areas of learning in each year of schooling Continuity in the curriculum — both in its content and in its progression — has to be planned carefully and implemented flexibly

Accurate monitoring of the experiences children have and of the progress they make is important For students with disabilities and special needs learning objectives will need to be negotiated in order to develop an appropriate curriculum Chil dren teachers parents and the community need information about children s achievements and dif ficulties to identify learning needs From this infor mation decisions can be made on future programs The learning activities that result are then likely to challenge children to develop their intellectual so cial emotional and physical potential aswellastheir personal characteristics and identities

C a p a b i l i t i e s

The capabilities that children require for the twenty first century are a combination of knowledge and skills Throughout the curriculum in primary schools children should be continually developing and em ploying five sets of capabilities

1 Personal capabilities

These include personal perception and self awareness as well as the social competence involved in acting autonomously and as a member of any group

2 Linguistic capabilities

These include the acquisition and conveyance of meaning across a wide range of human en deavour and understanding

3 Rational capabilities

These include critical reasoning and applying logical processes to explore ideas feelings and actions

4 Creative capabilities

These include performance and creation in the sciences the humanities and the expressive arts

5 Kinaesthetic capabilities

These include bodily co ordination and move ment spatial perception and orientation in physical and intellectual activities

When children are developing these capabilities they converse read write calculate think and evaluate expressing their ideas and feelings in many media

F i e l d s

Children employ their capabilities as they explore and investigate the world The curriculum in primary schools is required to provide them with opportunities to study seven inter related fields of inquiry

1 Language

These studies extend children s proficiency in lis tening speaking reading and writing in a variety of contexts They involve comprehending appreci ating producing and appraising an ever widening range of texts printed and non printed

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2 Mathematics

Mathematics provides children with knowledge and understanding of space measurement chance data handling number pattern and algebra Children learn logic the characteristic ways of mathematical thinking and their applica tion in a wide variety of situations

3 Health and personal development

These studies encompass the development and application of physical skills and the acquisition of knowledge relating to health issues They equip children to make informed decisions about their personal well being and about the welfare of others

4 Sciences

Scientific studies help children to develop ways of investigating describing and understanding the physical and biological world Students also learn how to apply these methods to solving problems in present and future contexts alike 5 Social education

This develops the knowledge skills and attitudes required for effective and critical participation in local national and international communities It involves critical reflection on matters affecting society at large such as the media technology and environmental change

6 The arts

These studies offer children cognitive gains by providing opportunities to reason solve prob lems and reflect They engage them in creating presenting and appreciating artistic performance and activity They develop in the students a range of specific skills needed for lifelong participation in the arts

7 Technology

This explores a set of distinctive concepts and it aims to develop students understanding and skills in the use of technologies Studies in tech nology involve the children in designing making and appraising and in applying such knowledge in varied contexts

Although each of these seven fields has a unique role the fields should complement and reinforce one

another When children make their own connections between fields of study they can better understand the contribution of each to the total learning program This improves coherence in learning For the same reason teachers must have a depth of knowledge about the inherent qualities and the range of knowl edge in each field of inquiry Curriculum balance requires teachers to have a precise understanding of the learning goals in the classroom The approach is holistic yet integrity of the subject matter must be maintained

The capabilities and the fields of inquiry that have been described have now been identified as essential areas of knowledge and experience for children throughout Australia They appear in national cur riculum documents and will be incorporated in all future Tasmanian curriculum guidelines It is the responsibility of schools to ensure that these essential learnings are addressed in all learning programs in the primary school As a result children will be given every opportunity to develop the knowledge skills and personal qualities they require for life and work in our society

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Curriculum issues

Continuity

Continuity of learning should extend from kindergarten to the end of year 12 and beyond It should continually address students needs and it should build on their achievements to expand both the depth and the breadth of their knowledge and capabilities In this way quality learning programs can be negotiated for the complete range of children s abilities including those children who have specific disabilities and those with special needs The sequence should be clearly articulated It should be flexible and not lock step yet it should promote increasingly sophisticated and diverse learning The activities must connect with children s interests and their understandings of the world and must at the same time take account of the requirements of whatever fields of inquiry are being explored

At times studies will be broad and will give scope for a wide range of experiences At other times more narrowly focused studies will be required in order to develop some particular capability or understanding Careful planning is needed with a consistent approach to teaching and learning to ensure that there will be both growth in capabilities and continuity in the fields of enquiry

Because children construct their own personal under standing of the world continuity is not simply a matter of ordering topics and arranging activities in sequence A particular order that may be right for some children may be a deterrent or distraction for others What is needed is continual adjustment of programs to meet the needs interests and aspirations of children as they develop over time

Continuity implies continued observation negotiation and action to match each child s learning with further development reflection by children and teachers on their experiences becomes the source of progress

To maintain continuity it is crucial that connections are maintained during transition from one stage to another one year to another and even from one school to another There should be continuity in educational growth from kindergarten to year 12 based on agreed record keeping and assessment To minimise the disruptions caused by mobility of the population schools must co operate and maintain clear communication with one another

Children s learning strongly reflects their exploration of experience and their engagement with other people Their current ideas feelings beliefs and values always represent a synthesis of certainty and tentativeness and the synthesis is constantly changing with additional insights and experiences Teachers have to offset the uncertainty with stability creating the kinds of security that will encourage- children to go on learning throughout their schooling C u r r e n c y

The curriculum must therefore be under continual review reflecting the directions set out in this book let Teachers need to take special care to avoid overloading or fragmenting the curriculum with the latest political or pedagogical whims At system level too judgement is required to identify what is desirable far sighted and enduring

Schools have a responsibility to carry out system policies and this includes ensuring that the content of the curriculum is current and that the most effective teaching and learning processes are being used Programs whilst not identical in every school should be comparable and should provide access for all children to a broad and general education When schools are developing or reviewing their programs they need to order priorities in such a way as to ensure that all areas are dealt with over a reasonable period of time This makes it possible for improvement of the curriculum to be sustainable and substantial without being overwhelming The resulting changes will then be both sensible and coherent V a l u e s

Children bring to the classroom widely varying social standards and values derived mainly from their

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families and communities with their religious and cultural backgrounds Teachers need to recognise that their own values are not universal they are not shared by all the individual groups in society Also it is essential that children learn about the variety of the values which exist within their society and beyond it Most of the commonly held values in our society are embodied in the law and are concerned with such things as honesty thoughtfulness respect for peo pie and property and the orderly resolution of dif ferences But each school will also have its own set of values so that it can function with harmony and effectiveness These should be determined in con sulfation with parents and the community

The influence of individual teachers is particularly powerful in primary schools where children are in their most vulnerable learning years and are exposed to relatively few models for long periods of time It would be inappropriate even if it were possible for educators to assume prime responsibility for values learning The influence of other educational forces such as family peer groups church and media on children s values are very powerful and should be recognised and accepted Consequently one area of profes sional responsibility is to promote strong alliance between teachers parents and the community to marshal wisdom and wishes and to recognise that moral education is shared between home school church and community [Health Educa tion in Tasmanian Schools and Colleges A Val ues Perspective 1988)

Childrens exploration of value positions enables them to understand their own value stances and to appreciate the opinions of others Education pro grams in the primary school should help children to clarify articulate and reflect on their values to sus pend judgement listen to criticism and change or modify a stance in the light of new information or circumstance

Religious e d u c a t i o n

The Tasmanian Education Act (1932) section 6 requires that teaching be non sectarian and secu lar Nevertheless religious traditions have exerted

significant influence in every human society In a pluralist multicultural society there is indisputably a wealth of literature tradition and values from this source that influences our contemporary culture So some understanding of the major religious traditions of the world appropriate to the childs level of conceptual development is desirable With this background children are better equipped to un derstand much of the literature history political life and other aspects of the world s cultures

A balanced and sensitive approach is necessary when exploring topics in this area

S o c i a l j u s t i c e

In primary schools a curriculum for social justice has as its highest priority the development of literacy and numeracy for all children It focuses on the devel opment of their understanding of the wider world and the processes necessary for lifelong learning Social justice is addressed when

a school strives to provide a program to meet the needs of all children

participation in decision making by students parents and teachers is part of school life achievement is encouraged and respected in all fields — in social relationships the arts and sport as well as in abstract and logical thinking (the more traditionally acknowledged cognitive areas) the curriculum is deliberately inclusive reflecting the lives interests and values of both sexes regardless of differing social or cultural back grounds

assessment is explicit and positively highlights improvement

high expectations are held for all students and learning goals are negotiated with the students and their parents

T i m e a l l o c a t i o n

The allocation of specific amounts of time for the study of particular fields cannot be systemically prescribed and may even be inappropriate for prescription by a school Individual children have individual requirements stemming from a range of prior experiences

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The crucial factors in any learning program are the engagement of the children in learning and the teachers and the children s understanding of the nature of each task its purposes and prerequisites This is what makes a universal allocation of time for learning impossible Instead time allocations have to be continually adjusted to meet learning needs Yet when each child s program is taken as a whole it should still provide time for all the essential learnings articulated earlier in this statement

Curriculum balance is directly affected by the alloca tion of time and resources to the development of the capabilities and to each of the fields of enquiry Allocating time to the various activities and fields is a priority for school community decision making The proportions may vary between students as they progress through schooling

Balance is not however a simple matter of time allocation A balanced program for a child also depends on a thoughtful approach to teaching and learning the careful organisation of classes sensi tive methods of assessment and good reporting

References

Committee on Primary Education 1980 Primary Education in Tasmania A Review for the Education Depadment Education Department Tasmania Education Act 1932 (Tas) (as amended)

Health Education in Tasmanian Schools and Col leges A Values Perspective 1988 Education De partment Tasmania

Secondary Education The Future (Policy Statement) 1987 Education Department Tasmania

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Key issues

The following key issues are discussed in Our Chil dren The Future The references are to specific booklets in the series

Accountability

Yesterday Today and Tomorrow pp 17-18 Assessment - audiences for

Yesterday Today and Tomorrow pp 14-15 Capabilities

A Curriculum for Children p 9 Changing society

Successful Schools pp 4-5 Community of learners

Teaching and Learning pp 16-18 Constructivism

Teaching and Learning pp 7-8 Continuity

Yesterday Today and Tomorrow pp 23-24 Curriculum - continuity

A Curriculum for Children pp 12-13 - currency

A Curriculum for Children p 13 - for social justice A Curriculum for Children p 15

- objectives

A Curriculum for Children pp 5-6 - time allocation A Curriculum for Children pp 15-16 Demonstration

Teaching and Learning pp 27-28 Effective teaching - a basis for

Yesterday Today and Tomorrow pp 10-12 Excellence

Yesterday Today and Tomorrow pp 22-23 Fields

A Curriculum for Children pp 9-10

Intellect - a new definition of Yesterday Today and Tomorrow p 5 Leadership - and participation

Yesterday Today and Tomorrow pp 16-17 Learning -definition

Teaching and Learning p 12 - modes

Teaching and Learning pp 9-11 - theories

Teaching and Learning pp 2 3 Mass media and technology Successful Schools pp 8-10 Multi modal functioning Teaching and Learning p 31-32 National curriculum

Yesterday Today and Tomorrow pp 25-27 Purposes of primary education

Yesterday Today and Tomorrow pp 4-5 Religious education

A Curriculum for Children p 14-15 Role of the teacher

Teaching and Learning pp 14-18 Self management

Successful Schools pp 19-20 Social justice

Yesterday Today and Tomorrow pp 20-22 A Curriculum for Children p 15

Success - factors which affect

Yesterday Today and Tomorrow pp 8-9 Successful schools - characteristics of Successful Schools pp 13-15

Values

A Curriculum for Children pp 13-14

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Appendix

Convenors of v

Les Bishop Wayne Blazely Kevin Bradley Guy Carey Jeff Cox Elizabeth Daly Helen French Pauline King Pe er Kirby Bernard Knight John Laing Dennis MacDonald David McLoughlin Arnold McShane Pam Merrington

) parties

Nell Neville Kath Nicholson Mike Patten Mike Poate Garry Roberts Gundars Simsons Barry Smith Garry Southwell Daryl Sproule Brian Streets Craig Tyson

Frank Van Nieuwkuyk Ivan Webb

Jan Webberley Mike Woods

Members of working parties

Lyn Alcock Beth Connor

Greg Ashman Bob Cooper

Ruth Barnett Deaine Coyle David Bassett Jill Declerk Leigh Bennett Lyn Donaghue Nigel Bentley Kay Dunbar

Jane Bird Joan Evans

Louise Bird Michael Fahey Margo Boardman Michael Ferencz Debbie Bolton Jan Fletcher Jane Bovill Sally Foley Barbara Bowes Marie Gavlick Robyn Boyden Jenny Goddard Jeff Bradley Louise Gough

Bill Brain Irene Gray

Colleen Breheney Bill Haas Doug Bridge Lewis Hamnett Terry Bnent Doris Hartnett Glen Bromfield Rod Headlam Brian Butler John Heron Nigel Carins Martin Hilliard Lyn Colledge Stuart Hobson Mar) Colvill Bernie Hoggett

Russell Horton Judy Pill

Jan Hunt lan Price

Pat Jeffrey Peter Radford Peter Jeffries Ann Revie Betty Jones Sue Richardson

Debbie Jones John Rigby

Glenn Jones Margaret Rose

Malcolm Kays Bevis Ross Brendan Kelly Jan Saxton

Donna Kelly Diane Scott

Judy Kemp Marguerite Scott

Pauline King Bev Shadbolt

Peter King Kathy Smith

Vicki Knight Lyn Smith

Joan Kreemers Miriam Solomon Carl Lawton Jennie Spaulding

Don Lello Roger Spencer

Heather Lindsay Marilyn Spinks Terry McCarthy Margaret Stackhouse Jenny MacDonald Di Tate

Fay McDonald Maxine Terry Heather McLeod Shelley Thorne

Judy Macknl Mary Tomkinson

Vicki Mackrill Jan Towns Vivian Mahina Philip Tyson Helen Mallette Rob Warren Barb Mawson Adrienne Waters Jan Milburn Paul Watkins

Linda Moir Brian Webberley

Julianne Moss Maurice Wenn Chris Murfett Alison White Steven Murray Kim White

Danny Neal Carol Wilson

Denise Neal Mane Wilson

Malcolm Orr June Wise

Andy Page Smith Heather Woods

lan Pattie Mike Woods

Bill Pegus Annette Yaxley

The projects Management Group comprised repre- sentatives from the working parties the writing team the Departments Planning Branch the Institute of Senior Administrators University of Tasmania Tasmanian Council of State School Parents and Friends Associa lions Primary Principals Association Secondary Principals Association Special Schools Association and Early Childhood Associations