This document provides an overview of curriculum concepts for junior secondary students. It defines curriculum as a framework for planned learning experiences including content, resources, and assessments. The key sections explain features of the Australian curriculum such as learning areas, strands, content descriptions and achievement standards. It also describes general capabilities, cross-curriculum priorities, and assessment tasks related to demonstrating understanding of curriculum frameworks.

1. Curriculum in Junior Secondary
Topic 3
What is Curriculum?

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3. At the end of this topic you will be able to:
 examine various definitions of curriculum
 define curriculum
 summarise the key features, content and organisation of
the Australian curriculum
 explain the purpose and intended use of the General
Capabilities and Cross-curriculum Priorities for teacher
planning
Learning Outcomes

4.  what is taught in schools.
 a set of subjects.
 content.
 a set of materials.
 a set of performance objectives for student learning at
a variety of learning sites.
 what an individual student experiences as a result of
schooling.
 everything that is planned by school personnel.
Curriculum is…

5.  questioning areas of authority and searching for more
complex views of human situations.
 an interrelated set of plans and experiences that a
student undertakes under the guidance of the school.
 an organised set of formal educational and / or
training intentions.
 always, in every society, a reflection of what the
people think, feel, believe, and do.
 all learning opportunities provided by the school.
 what the older generation chooses to tell the younger
generation.
Curriculum is…

6.  Curriculum - A framework for planned interaction
for learners with instructional content, materials,
resources, and processes for evaluating the
attainment of educational outcomes. The
curriculum also encompasses the subjects taught in
a course of study.
Key Terms

7.  Learning Areas - The 'subjects' taught in schools. The
Learning Areas of the Australian Curriculum are:
 Science
 English
 Mathematics
 Humanities and Social Sciences (Including Geography
(Foundation - Year 6), History (Foundation - Year 6), Civics and
Citizenship (Year 3 Year 6), and Business and Economics (Year 5
- Year 6) )
 Technologies
 The Arts
 Health and Physical Education.
Key Terms

8.  Rationale - The reasons why a learning area is
important to include in the education of all young
Australians.
 Strands - A framework for organising content in a
Learning Area.
Key Terms

9.  Content descriptions - explicit statements about what all students
should be taught, i.e. knowledge, understandings and skills;
general capabilities and cross-curriculum dimensions. In some
Learning Areas they are described year by year and in others over
two years.
 Content elaborations - support teachers' understanding of the
content descriptions. They are not mandated (optional) and are
intended to clarify and illustrate the content descriptions.
Key Terms

10.  Achievement standards - describe the quality of learning
(depth of understanding , extent of knowledge and
sophistication of skill) expected for each year of schooling
or band of years.
 Describe and illustrate growth or development in the
Learning Area. Descriptors are on an A-E scale for reporting
purposes.
Key Terms

11.  General capabilities - define knowledge, skills, behaviours and
dispositions that can be developed and applied across the
curriculum to help students to become successful learners,
confident and creative individuals and active and informed
citizens.
 Developed or applied in the content descriptions and add depth
and richness to teaching and learning
 Teachers are expected to teach and assess general capabilities
Key Terms

12. General capabilities
Which would be easy to include in your learning area/s?
Which would be difficult?

13. There are 7 general capabilities:
 Literacy - listening to, reading, viewing, speaking, writing and creating
oral, print, visual and digital texts, and using and modifying language for
different purposes in a range of contexts.
 Numeracy - the knowledge, skills, behaviours and dispositions required
to use mathematics in a wide range of situations.
 Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability – ability to
learn to use ICT effectively and appropriately to access, create and
communicate information and ideas, solve problems and work
collaboratively.
 Critical and Creative Thinking - thinking broadly and deeply using skills,
behaviours and dispositions such as reason, logic, resourcefulness,
imagination and innovation at school and in everyday life.
What might these ‘look like’ in your learning area/s?
Key Terms

14.  Personal and Social Capability - recognising and regulating emotions,
developing empathy for others and understanding relationships,
establishing and building positive relationships, making responsible
decisions, working effectively in teams, handling challenging
situations constructively and developing leadership skills.
 Ethical Understanding - building a strong personal and socially
oriented ethical outlook to manage context, conflict and uncertainty,
and to develop an awareness of the influence that values and
behaviour have on others
 Intercultural Understanding - learning about and engaging with
diverse cultures in ways that recognise commonalities and
differences, create connections with others and cultivate mutual
respect.
What might these ‘look like’ in your learning area/s?
Key terms

15.  Cross-curriculum priorities - Within the Australian Curriculum,
these are contemporary issues about which young Australians
should learn. The cross-curriculum priorities addressed in the
Australian Curriculum are:
 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures - all
young Australians have the opportunity to learn about,
acknowledge and respect the history and culture of Aboriginal
people and Torres Strait Islanders.
 Asia and Australia’s Engagement with Asia - reflects Australia's
extensive engagement with Asia in social, cultural, political, and
economic spheres.
 Sustainability - addresses the ongoing capacity of Earth to
maintain all life.
Key Terms

16.  "Curriculum” is a central concept in education and the term
is used often in the media or discussed in government policy
related to education.
 Ewing (2013, p.8) points out that the concept of curriculum
is very difficult to define because it varies according to
context, system, or level of education; and in different time
periods.
 Curriculum planning should create meaningful and
purposeful teaching and learning activities, but conflicting
ideas and various educational stakeholders have different
ideas about what to teach, how to teach it and when to
teach it.
Some key points about Curriculum

17.  Acrostic poem
C
U
R
R
I
C
U
L
U
M
Summarising your understanding

18.  This course is about curriculum! Therefore you will be
assessed on your understanding of the curriculum.
 It is essential you understand what curriculum is, where it
comes from and how it is used in the classroom.
 Teachers do not simply teach what they want, it must link to
the curriculum and you as pre-service teacher must adhere
to the curriculum requirements within your teaching areas.
Have you noticed any curriculum in your learning area/s that
you are not familiar with?
Link to Assessment

19.  Knowledge of the key elements and organisation of
current curriculum documents - Comparative analysis
summarises the audience; key features, intended outcomes;
and assessment of learning for each document and
demonstrates critical reflection on reasons for the
similarities and differences identified and the effect of
curriculum design on implementation and use in educational
settings.
Link A to Assessment 1

20.  Ability to identify and evaluate ways in which current
curriculum documents are influenced by contemporary
social and cultural contexts and respond to issues of
diversity and equity - Analysis shows understanding of
contemporary social contexts and political influences on
21st century curriculum design. A understanding of issues
of equity and diversity underpins the analysis and
comparison.
Link B to Assessment 1

21.  Know and use curriculum frameworks relevant to teaching
context - Unit of work has been designed with the use of
appropriate curriculum relevant to the teaching context.
 Appropriate selection of content knowledge - Attention has
been given to the content knowledge to be learned in the
unit of work, is stated at an appropriate level for year level
identified and is consistent with the intent of the curriculum.
Link to Assessment 2