2. Outline of Presentation
• ACARA update
• Architecture of the Australian Curriculum: Languages
• Overarching design features of the Australian
Curriculum: Languages
• Overview of draft curriculum (design features realised in
curriculum documents)
– orientation of the teaching and learning of all
languages (key concepts and organisational
structure)
4. F-10 Languages curriculum development:
Chinese and Italian
Activity Date
Draft curriculum approved by Board Dec 2012
Consultation period Dec 2012 - 12 April 2013
Final curriculum approved by Board September 2013
5. F-10 Languages curriculum development:
Framework for Aboriginal Languages and
Torres Strait Islander Languages
Activity Date
Draft curriculum approved by Board 2 May 2013
Consultation period May - July 2013
Final curriculum approved by Board 5 December 2013
6. F-10 Languages curriculum development:
Arabic, French, German, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Modern Greek,
Spanish and Vietnamese
Activity Date
Draft curriculum approved by Board 2 May 2013
Consultation period May – July 2013
Final curriculum approved by Board 5 December 2013
8. Architecture of the Australian
Curriculum: Languages
• Pathways
– Second language learners
– Background language learners
– First language learners
• Time on task
9. Indicative hours to guide writing the curriculum
Indicative hours
Curriculum (for the purpose of writing
curriculum)
Foundation – Year 10 sequence
Foundation – Year 4 (Level 1) 175 hours
Years 5-6 (Level 2) A further 175 hours
Years 7-8 (Level 3) A further 160 hours
Years 9-10 (Level 4) A further 160 hours
Years 7-10 sequence (Year 7 entry)
Years 7-8 (Level 1) 160 hours
Years 9-10 (Level 2) A further 160 hours
10. Dimensions of the Learning areas
• English
Australian • Mathematics
• Science
Curriculum • Humanities and Social Sciences –
History, Geography, Economics and
General capabilities Business, Civics and Citizenship
• Literacy • The Arts
• Numeracy • Languages
• Information and Communication • Health and Physical Education
Technology Capability • Technologies
• Critical and Creative Thinking
• Ethical Behaviour
• Personal and Social Cross-curriculum priorities
Capability • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories
• Intercultural and cultures
Understanding • Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia
• Sustainability
9
11. Intercultural understanding
• a central aim of learning languages
• learning languages involves comparison
and reflection (linguistic, social, and
cultural)
• language learners actively engage in
intercultural interpretation
13. Language, culture and learning
Through learning languages, students acquire:
• essential communication skills in the target language
• an intercultural capability, and
• an understanding of the role of language and culture in human
communication.
• Learning language involves:
– Student Performance
– Analysis
– Reflection
14. Aims
The Australian Curriculum: Languages aims to develop the
knowledge, understanding, and skills to ensure students:
• communicate in the target language
• understand language, culture, and learning and their
relationship, and thereby develop an intercultural
capability in communication
• understand themselves as communicators.
15. Language specific
Context statement
Band descriptions
Strands
Communicating
Sub – strands
Content
Understanding Descriptions Elaborations
Achievement standards
16. Content structure – two strands
• Communicating: using language for
communicative purposes in interpreting,
creating, and exchanging meaning.
• Understanding: analysing language and
culture as a resource for interpreting and
creating meaning.
17. Overview of Communicating
strand – sub strands
• Socialising and taking action
• Obtaining and using information
• Responding to and expressing imaginative
experience
• Moving between/translating
• Expressing and performing identity
• Reflecting on intercultural language use
18. Overview of Understanding
strand – sub strands
• Systems of language
• Variability in language use
• Language awareness
• Role of language and culture
19. Achievement standard
• Achievement standards describe what
students are typically able to understand
and able to do. They describe expected
achievement and emphasise the depth of
conceptual understanding and the
sophistication of skills
20. Chinese Foundation to Year 4 (Level 1)
Achievement Standard
• By the end of Level 1, students ask and respond to questions to exchange personal information
and interests. They participate in creative performances in collaboration with others. They use
gestures and movement to support their oral communication. They create short texts in characters
by copying from word lists to convey personal information using models, or produce cards and
posters for special occasions and events. They identify key words in texts glossed in Pinyin, or
locate familiar words in texts presented in characters. They recognise familiar word order in
Chinese sentences and use model sentence patterns to incorporate their own meanings in
communication. Sentences are short, following the basic subject-verb-object structure with
occasional use of adjective predicates. Numbers are used to describe age, family members and to
quantify objects (with measure word).
• By the end of Level 1, students understand that Pinyin provides access to the sounds of the
spoken language and use it to practise speaking with attention to pronunciation and tone. They
recognise features of the Chinese writing system: the range of strokes and their sequences in
character writing and how component knowledge can assist in learning characters. They
recognise that Modern Standard Chinese is a language of global importance and identify
examples of Chinese use particularly within their own community. They describe features of
Chinese culture and display awareness of cultural values when participating in interactions with
Chinese people.
22. Consultation Portal
• The Australian Curriculum has been published
online
• ACARA works with Education Services Australia
to publish draft material on the consultation
portal and when approved the online curriculum
http://consultation.australiancurriculum.edu.au/
• Australian Curriculum Connect project linking
state/territory digital resources to support the
teaching of the curriculum
21
23.
24.
25. Consultation processes
• Online survey and written submissions
• Teacher intensive engagement (trial schools)
• National panel meetings (2 representatives from each
state and territory and national professional teacher
associations; DEEWR rep)
• Face-to-face consultation forums in each S&T for draft
Framework for Aboriginal Languages and Torres Strait
Islander Languages
24
26. Feedback
• Broad feedback is sought on the Languages curriculum overall in relation to:
– Rationale and Aims for the Languages: Learning area
– Structure of the curriculum
• More specific feedback in each Language is sought in relation to:
– Context statement
– Band descriptions
– Curriculum content (clarity, coverage, pitch and sequence)
– Achievement standards (clarity, coherence, pitch, sequence, usability)
– Manageability for teachers
27. More information …
ACARA Website
www.acara.edu.au
Australian Curriculum Website
http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Home
28. Chinese
German, Modern Greek, Spanish, Vietnamese
Lucie Sorensen
Senior Project Officer, Languages
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and
Reporting Authority (ACARA)
Level 10 | 255 Pitt Street | SYDNEY | NSW | 2000
Ph: 02 8098 3267| Fax: 1300 995 468
Email: lucie.sorensen@acara.edu.au
29. Italian
Aboriginal Languages and Torres Strait Islander Languages
Arabic, French, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean
Suzanne Bradshaw
Senior Project Officer, Languages
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting
Authority (ACARA)
Level 10 | 255 Pitt Street | SYDNEY | NSW | 2000
Ph: 02 8098 3149| Fax: 1300 995 468
Ph: +618 8302 4794 (Adelaide)
Email: suzanne.bradshaw@acara.edu.au
Editor's Notes
In the Australian Curriculum: Languages, pathways for second language learners, background language learners and first language learners have been developed as appropriate to cater for the dominant cohort(s) of students learning each specific language within the current Australian context. Two variables influence the curriculum architecture: learner background and time on taskSecond language learners are those who are introduced to learning the target language at school as an additional, new language for them. The first language used before they start school and/or the language they use at home is not the target language. Background language learners are those who may use the target language at home (not necessarily exclusively) and have knowledge of the target language to varying degrees such as vocabulary, phonological accuracy, fluency, and readiness to use the language. They have a base for literacy development in that language. First language learners are users of the target language who have undertaken at least primary schooling in the target language. They have had their primary socialisation as well as initial literacy development in that language, and they use the target language at home. It also relates to students learning Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait Islander languages and includes learners whose primary socialisation is in the target language and who may or may not have yet developed initial literacy. Within each of these groups, there are differences in proficiency in using the target language. It is acknowledged that the span of language experiences of background learners is particularly wide, and learners in this group are likely to have quite diverse affiliations with the target language. Nevertheless, for pragmatic reasons, it is not feasible to identify more groupings than these.For Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait Islander languages, a framework is being developed that caters for different learner pathways that also take account of the state of the particular language involved:we are developing second language, first language and language revival pathways.